The Demon in the Hyuga Clan
by DarkSwordMage
Summary: Hinata Hyuga is the Jinchuriki which contains the Nine Tailed Fox. This is Alternate Universe/Timeline, be wary of many spoilers if you aren't up to date with the manga...
1. Chapter 1

(Well, this one if told from Hinata's Point of View, from the 1st person perspective. Many who read this think it's similar to Team 8 by S'Tar'Kan, and I admit that I have read his story, and borrowed from it. HOWEVER I have no not stolen his story and just switched Naruto and Hinata's roles. This is apparent, considering that I'm much farther along in my story line then S'Tar'Kan, and I've nearly finished this story's outline. Another question I often get is what can Naruto do, why is his performance under par with his teammates, and that's because he had help from Minato to learn what was in the academy, similar to someone getting the answers to a test before he takes it. He learns a fighting style created by his father called the Fist of the Flash through Part 1, and a Flash Mode to go along with it later in the story, becoming probably the most powerful member of his team after my time skip. Also, no one is perfect, and not even Sasuke can break Kakashi's Earth Element jutsu in canon, so even Rookie of the Year Genin have their faults, Naruto's happens to be molding Earth Element Chakra, since his affinity is for win, what I imagine is it's polar opposite. Yes, this is a Naru-Hina story, so if that bothers you, you'll have to find something else to read. However, if you can stomach the warnings in this note and feel that you're still interested in what is obviously my most popular work, then read on. However, if you're going to leave me a nasty little review about how I'm just stealing someone else's ideas, then I'll have you reported for abuse, if you have the balls to sign the review. Oh, and finally, I own none of the characters involved in this story with few exceptions, most notably Hibana Hyuga and Haruka Uchiha, and several other lesser characters that have no major impact on the story. All other characters are copyright to the original author, whose name I can't spell off the top of my head, but every Naruto fan knows.)

Chapter 1: Revelations

"Now class, those of you who passed the Genin exam, return here tomorrow at 9 am for you squad assignments." Iruka Umino tells his class.

The members of the graduating class of the academy nearly throw up their hands in a cheer at their former teacher's words. The scarred Chunin was congratulating all those who passed the exam, but I don't feel the same exhilaration that the others in the class feel.

I know that if I were to yell out like the others, I'd draw a scowl from the teacher for the outburst…

_After all, I'm a member of the main branch of the Hyuga clan, and for some reason, nearly every adult in the village glares at me for it…_

"All right…" Umino Iruka says. "You're all dismissed until tomorrow."

The entire class seems to stand up as one, and the entire class files out of the classroom.

My name is Hinata Hyuga, and I'm a newly graduated Genin from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I was born on December 27th, though my birthday is never celebrated, because it is on that day that a demon called the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked our village. The Fourth Hokage, the village leader, was ready to sacrifice himself to kill the demon, but the demon managed to wound him, and my father had to take his place. My father sacrificed himself to save the village, and sparing the Fourth Hokage's life…

Life continued on for the village, and that day is looked back on as a dark day in the village, when many lives where lost, and the life of the leader of the Hyuga clan was lost to protect the village.

_My father's sacrifice had another effect as well. His sacrifice catapulted the clan even higher in the eyes of the village. Even so, whenever I go out alone for any reason, I see people scowl at me, and their eyes look like they're rejecting my very existence…_

I took a seat near the back of the class, and somehow I managed to get into the same class as the son of the Hokage himself, Naruto Namikaze. The boy's presence in the class constantly brightens the atmosphere. The boy is intelligent, graduating at the top of our class, even beating out the latest offspring from the Uchiha clan…

_I don't know why I can never seem to answer the tests right, but I barely managed to graduate, and I don't think that Grandmother would like that very much…_

I leave the classroom, wearing my normal gray jacket and dark blue pants, my newly acquired headband resting around my neck. On my feet I wear sandals like every other Genin does. As the majority of the class file out of the classroom and through the academy, into the courtyard of the building, the other students see their parents waiting for them in the courtyard. Their parents' faces happy that their child emerges from the academy wearing a headband, but when I emerge from the academy, I don't see the happy face of a parent waiting for me…

_My mother wasn't a part of the Hyuga bloodline, so she was barred from seeing me and hasn't had a single hand in raising me. Now, with my father dead, it's up to my grandmother Hibana to run the clan, but she's getting older, and I'm nowhere near capable of inheriting the clan and assuming the role of leader…_

No, rather then a smiling face of a parent, a Chunin member of the branch family, wearing dark gray robes, with a headband covering their forehead waits for me. The 22 year old man possessing the same lavender eyes I do…

_Well, my eyes aren't the same as his, not if you look closely at mine, anyway. In mine, you can see a tint of red around the edge of the retina, and Grandmother says my eyes are the evidence of the 'gift' my father gave me right after I was born…_

The member of the branch family is a man whose name I never even bothered to learn. Whenever I look at him, I see in him the same scowl that the other villagers give me, amplified by his position of servitude toward me and my grandmother…

"Let us go, Lady Hinata, Lady Hibana is waiting." He says in a neutral tone, though the man's eyes still posses the restrained hatred.

"Yes…" I respond with a barely visible nod.

The branch family member starts back toward our home, the Hyuga Mansion that has been the ancestral home to my family for generations. The branch family member walks ahead of me, and every day, during my trip either to the Mansion or to the academy, Grandmother Hibana always assigns a branch family member to escort me. Though I have no idea why my grandmother constantly assigns a branch family member to escort me, I do know that it must have something to do with the glares that the other villagers constantly give me.

I know that as a member of the Hyuga clan, my life as a shinobi is not a choice that I can make. I also know that with my father dead, and no brothers or sisters, I have no choice but to become strong, so I can fulfill my role as the leader of the clan…

_But, grandmother always seems to hesitate whenever I ask her for additional training; she tells me that a good leader needs more then just power. She says that a good leader also knows when she needs help, and if I don't learn how to work as a member of a team, then I'll never learn how to lead. She always tells me that our Byakugan makes the Hyuga apt at seeing through deceptions and that I should always search for any hidden meaning in anything I do in life…_

However, to see the hidden meaning in everything I do is a lot harder then it sounds, and much easier to say then it is to do. Walking back to the Hyuga home, my eyes locked on the back of the branch family member, I feel the eyes of the people of the village, glaring at me with hatred in their eyes. For my entire life, I can only remember seeing those expressions in nearly everyone in the village, the only people who've ever shown me kind eyes are my grandmother, the Fourth Hokage himself, and the Fourth's son, Naruto, though I have no idea as to why the blonde boy would show me any kindness when no one else does…

_It must be something to do with his father, I overheard that his mother is working as an ANBU and is busy a lot. Maybe Naruto-kun takes pity on me, and sympathizes with my not having any 'real' parents either. Though, his father is extremely busy, so I doubt that he's around that much…_

I clear my thoughts as I follow the branch family member into the home. He stops three steps inside the main doorway. He turns around, putting his hands behind his back.

"Lady Hibana is waiting in her chamber." The branch family member says. "She wishes to speak to you immediately." He finishes with a clipped tone.

I nod, bowing lightly to the branch family member as I walk past him and into the Hyuga home. I slip my shoes off at the door, and I walk down the halls, heading toward the chamber of the leader of the clan. It doesn't take long for me to arrive at the door to my grandmother's chamber. I raise my right hand to knock on the door, only to hear her voice from within the chamber before my hand can touch the door…

"Come in Hinata, I've been expecting you…" Hibana Hyuga's voice passes through the door.

I nod, realizing that my grandmother has her kekkei genkai activated, and she's using it to see through her door. I slide the door open, seeing into the chamber as I step inside. It isn't unusual that my grandmother keeps her room very darkly lit. The overhead light in the room is shut off, candles lining the room, casting an orange glow over my grandmother's bedroom. She sits on her bed, with her back to me, but I can tell that she sits with her feet together, her hands resting with her fingers interlaced, and her palms toward the ceiling.

"I take it you graduated, my granddaughter?" She asks; her white hair short and styled back, showing her age.

"Yes, grandmother…" I respond, bowing my head.

"How did you score on your graduation exam?" She asks, nearly cutting straight to the point.

_I knew it; she wants to know how I did on the final exam for the graduation test. Because I'm a member of the main branch, she wants me to display a positive showing, and not bring shame to the clan…_

I feel a lump form in my throat as I swallow the saliva in my mouth.

"I received a 68 percent on my final exam…" I mutter, hearing the embarrassment in my voice.

"A 68 percent…?" I hear the surprise in her voice.

I nod, feeling ashamed of the low score.

"What was the graduation test?" She asks, wanting to know what the instructors tested me on, the woman looking over her right shoulder at me.

"We had to perform a successful clone jutsu." I explain. "After we performed the technique, the instructors critiqued the results."

I see her right eyebrow rise, the veins around her eyes bulging, the pupil in her eye visible with her Byakugan activated...

"They critiqued your performance?" She asks.

I nod a curt nod.

"Yes, after I successfully created the clone, the Chunin instructors carefully looked my clone over, and they picked out several minor differences in my clone and my original appearance."

"Show me…" She responds.

I nod, making several signs in quick succession, focusing chakra as I use the technique. I create an illusionary clone of myself standing two feet to my left, the clone standing in the exact same pose as I am.

My grandmother eyes the clone a moment, and then her eye shifts back to my real body…

"Is this the same caliber of clone you created for the graduation exam?" She asks, and I nod.

"I attempted to create my best clone for the test, since the teachers at the academy often found reasons to reduce my score on tests and other exams. I wanted to create a clone that they could not find fault with, but I couldn't…" I tell her, my voice getting weak at the end of the statement.

The woman sighs, putting the back of her head toward me, but I know better then to think that she can't see me.

"The clone you created is virtually flawless to only the most scrutinized inspection, no more can be asked of a genin." She tells me, her voice bearing a no nonsense tone. "No, I believe your low grade on the graduation exam is the result of something else entirely." She explains.

"Something else…?" I ask. "What would make them want to give me a lower grade?" I ask.

"Tell me my daughter, have you ever noticed people showing you a special treatment?" She asks.

I raise my eyebrows.

"You mean, because I'm a member of the Hyuga Main Family?" I ask.

My grandmother shakes her head.

"No, I'm not talking about your status as a member of this family…" She tells me. "I'm talking about something else…"

"What Grandmother…?" I ask. "What could make people stare at me with those eyes?" I ask, referencing the expression most of the villagers cast toward me.

"So, you've seen the expressions that the other villagers give you?" She asks, and I nod.

"Their eyes…" I begin. "It's an expression as though they are rejecting my very being…"

She nods, though I don't see the grim expression on her face.

"For that, I am very sorry Hinata…" My grandmother tells me. "I'm afraid that it is the ignorance and hatred of the people in this village, and our own family that causes them to spurn you."

"But Grandmother, why would they spurn me? What reason could cause them to hate me, when they don't even know me?" I ask.

"Do you remember the 'gift' from your father that I always mention?" She asks, and I nod.

"You tell me that my father gave me something the day I was born, but you have never told me exactly what it is." I explain.

My grandmother nods solemnly.

"I can't tell you because if I tell you, you could have me put to death for a criminal infraction."

_A criminal infraction that carries a death penalty, what law could be related to me that carries a penalty of death? Of all the laws of the village that they taught us about in the academy, the only law that carries a death sentence is treason. So, what law that carries a death sentence has something to do with me?_

"What could you not speak of that would carry a death sentence?" I ask.

"I cannot tell you, my granddaughter." She says. "However, I can say this; think about the red tint to your eyes, the date of your birth, and the fate of the Nine Tailed Demon that attacked this village…" She suggests.

"The color of my eyes, the date of my birth, and the fate of the nine tailed demon, what do you mean?" I ask.

"Just as I said, you're a bright girl Hinata, your father's daughter, I'm sure you'll come to only a single conclusion that can explain the three things I've brought up…"

_Okay, well, my eyes have a red tint, which is supposed to be a genetic abnormality from my mother since she wasn't of the bloodline. My birthday is December 27__th__, a day that carries a solemn air throughout the rest of the village, because it was the day the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked, and…_

My eyes go wide in recognition…

"Grandmother, do you mean…" I begin, my voice showing the dread I feel at her response.

"I can only tell you that the chakra of the Kyuubi No Kitsune was colored red, unlike the chakra of any human being alive." She says.

_Red chakra, and my eyes have a red tint to them, and the fox attacked the village on the day of my birth, and it was my father that sacrificed himself to seal away the nine tailed demon, but we were never told what exactly what the fox was sealed into. It is assumed that it was sealed into a shinobi, but if it was, then there wouldn't be any reason for Grandmother to bring up the color of my eyes, and the color of the demon's chakra, unless she means to tell me that the Kyuubi No Kitsune was sealed inside ME…_

"You don't mean that the demon was sealed inside of me?" I ask, and I see my grandmother turn around, facing me with her body, and for the first time in a long time, I see her smile.

"Yes, Hinata, the demon was sealed inside of you, and your father wanted you to be regarded a hero for containing the demon within your body." She explains. "Since that day, your chakra coils have grown larger and your chakra capacity has grown farther then even the most gifted Hyuga leader."

"So…the 'gift' that you kept talking about from my father was the fact that the demon's presence inside me has increased my chakra capacity farther then I would've been able to grow on my own?" I ask, and my grandmother nods.

"Now that you know, you should also know that there is a law in this village, passed the day you were born, and that law is that no one can speak of the fate of the Kyuubi No Kitsune, and no adult can speak about it to their children or anyone who doesn't already know about it, other then you." She explains to me. "The Fourth decreed that law to protect you. He wants you to have a chance for acceptance amongst those your age. He had the foresight to see that parents would've simply told their children about the demon, so instead they tell their children to shun you, but they won't tell them why…"

Suddenly, everything about my younger life and my childhood up until this point makes sense. I'm a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan, but at the same time, I'm also the village's dirty little secret, the container of the Nine Tailed Fox. Most of the villagers look at me like I AM the fox, rather then the fox's jailor…

Then, I see something that I've never seen before, my grandmother gets off of her bed. Standing up straight she bows to me, putting her forehead on the ground, her hands in front of her head.

"I am sorry Hinata, I've had to hide this fact from you for so long, and I was afraid that someone from the village would try and harm you in a futile attempt at revenge against the demon, so I always had you accompanied by a branch family guardian. I know that you didn't like it, that you would've rather gone on your own, but I was so afraid that my only granddaughter would die because of something completely out of your own control…"

Seeing my grandmother bowing to me, a 12 year old girl who has no power within the family whatsoever, and the sincerity in her words…

"Grandmother, I understand…" I respond, kneeling down.

I reach out with my right hand. I touch my grandmother's extended hand, and I see her look up, and I smile at her, a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Hinata…" My grandmother Hibana says her tone full of sincerity.

"Come now…" I begin, motioning for her to stand. "If someone sees you like this, rumors will spread like wildfire through the village, and you can't let that happen, can you grandmother?" I ask, and the old woman nods.

She stands up, and I move away from her, giving the woman space in the dimly lit room.

"I spoke to Lord Hokage earlier today…" Hibana begins. "I asked him who he had in mind to assign to your genin team, and he told me that he was planning on teaming you with Shino Aburame and his own son Naruto Namikaze…" She says.

"Naruto-kun and Shino-kun…?" I ask, and my grandmother nods.

"He said that he's had an ANBU watch your interactions with the other students during your free time at the academy. He says that Naruto is one of the only students that speak to you in a friendly manner, and Shino doesn't seem to care one way or another toward you. Thus the Fourth believes that with the two of them will be able to see you for you, and not as the demon like so many of the adults of this village do." She explains.

_Shino and Naruto, my teammates, but what will I do? How can I be on a team with them when I'm hiding the fact that I'm the Jinchuriki? We learned in the academy that Jinchuriki are supposed to have been created to be weapons, and during time of war they were desired, now in the time of peace since the war between leaf and rock, Jinchuriki are no longer desired…_

I see my grandmother smile at me.

"You'll be fine Hinata; you don't have to tell them about the Kyuubi right away." She tells me. "Let them see you for the real you, and then when you tell them about the Kyuubi. They'll see that you're a good person, and not the human incarnation of the demon." She tells me.

I nod solemnly, though I can't help but feel a pit of dread form in my stomach at the thought of telling my soon to be teammates about the demon residing in my body…

"For now Hinata, you should relax, tomorrow will be a big day for you and your new teammates, so after dinner take a long bath, and then you should relax and go to bed." She tells me.

I nod my agreement, and it isn't long before dinner is called for. During dinner that night, my grandmother and I eat in silence. After dinner, I go to the large bathroom in the mansion, and I take a long, slow bath, letting the warm water relax my mind and my body. After my bath, I go back to my room and I change into pajamas, pulling the blankets up over my body.

_Tomorrow I become a genin, a ninja trainee for the Village Hidden in the Leaves, on a team with the son of the Fourth Hokage and the heir to the Aburame clan of bug ninjas. I can't let either of them down, they don't look at me like I'm some sort of monster, and I won't disappoint them…_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning, I'm out of the Hyuga mansion bright and early, my headband resting around my neck as I walk toward the academy. It's still early, and since I'm less then well liked by most people of the village, I tend to travel early and avoid running into as much as people as possible. The academy opens its doors at 7 am, and I wear a small backpack, my bento packed in it along with a thermos. I know that if I get to the academy early, I can duck into the room and take my seat without causing any real trouble.

I manage to get to the academy at 7:20 in the morning, having been awake since 6:10 this morning. Sleep last night was fitful, and I don't feel fatigued, but I could've slept better. The entire night, I was thinking about my assignment to a team with Naruto Namikaze and Shino Aburame.

_At first, I didn't know what to think, but then I thought that it's possible that I ask for a transfer, for the two of them to get a better ninja to work with. I'm sure they could have Ino Yamanaka or even Sakura Haruno as a kunoichi on their team…_

Entering into the academy, I walk toward the specified classroom, and I go inside, the academy classroom empty this early and I make my way to my seat. I sit down in the top right corner of the stadium style seating. I set my small bag next to my seat, and I put my head down on the desk. The thought of knowing what's coming quickly becoming a curse, the more I think about it.

_At least the others are coming here with no idea that their teammates are so they're free to wonder just who will be assigned to their team…_

_And I bet none of them want me around them…_

I think the thought bitterly, and then I close my eyes a moment, barely shaking my head.

_Even though it may be true, I can't think that way. I have to try my best to prove to both Shino and Naruto that I'm not some demon. I'm a member of the Hyuga main branch, and my name is Hinata Hyuga…_

I sit there, trying not to think as the time slowly crawls. As the hour draws closer, more and more students enter the room, some one at a time; others enter in small groups, people chatting amongst themselves, hopeful for what today may bring them. I notice that Sasuke Uchiha enters the room alone, and then shortly after, several girls from the class follow him inside fawning over him the entire way. The Uchiha boy ignores the female attention, muttering something under his breath. I personally don't understand what the other girls of my generation see in the Uchiha boy. He has looks, but the boy has the personality of a tree stump…

_Or maybe a tree has more personality then he does. He's so self-centered, and he tried so hard to be the best in the class, but Naruto Namikaze did better at every test and examination we had. I don't know why Sasuke tried so hard, but Naruto has been better then he is, and I'd rather have Naruto on my team then Sasuke…_

_Not that either of them would want me on THEIR team…_

I mentally kick myself as Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno both storm into the room, arguing with each other over who arrived first in a stupid, pointless argument. The two of them bicker seemingly endlessly as Naruto Namikaze walks into the room, walking past both kunoichi with a heavy sigh. Naruto wears an orange jumpsuit with blue trim, and he wears the same blue shoes that other ninja wear. He wears his headband on his forehead, unlike me. The son of the Fourth Hokage takes a seat in the other half of the class seats, and oddly enough, no one fawns over him…

_He's always been so happy go lucky about everything, and he treats me like I'm a person. Not like the other kids, who look at me because they're told to by their parents without a reason why. _

I barely notice Shino Aburame enter into the room, the boy carrying nearly no presence. Without a word, Shino takes a seat, the other kids in the class staying away from the boy, simply unsettled by the strange boy. The kikai ninja wears a gray trench coat with a high collar. He wears dark brown pants and blue sandals, his headband on his forehead. As the time for assignments draws near, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi all enter the classroom, the latter two together, with the larger boy nearly pushing his smaller friend. Both of them take a seat, and Kiba sits off alone, his dog, Akamaru resting on top of his head. The class sits in anticipatory silence waiting on the Chunin teacher that will be bringing in the entire classes' genin assignments. I look around the room, and I see both Naruto and Shino waiting calmly as the door opens, and Iruka Umino enters the room.

The Chunin guard carries a clipboard in his right hand, and the entire class goes into a murmur when the Chunin stops in front of the class. He clears his throat rather loudly, causing the entire class to hush.

"All right now settle down…" He tells the class unnecessarily. "I've got your Genin assignments here, directly from Lord Hokage…"

_Directly from Lord Hokage, does he mean that Lord Hokage didn't decide until this morning? If that's the case, then what grandmother told me last night could mean nothing, what will I do if I'm assigned to another team? Will my new teammates accept me like Naruto and Shino might've?_

My thoughts continue to swirl as Iruka names the first 6 Genin squads, until finally, he comes to Squad 7, and my ears begin paying attention again.

"Squad 7 will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka…" Iruka explains.

You'd think that Sakura Haruno had just won a million Ryo from the way she reacts. The girl stands up and throws her arms into the air, yelling 'yippee' like she's a little school girl. I see Sasuke scoff and lower his head, and Kiba shakes his head slowly, and I can tell that he's REALLY looking forward to working with the resident self centered emotional nutcase and one of his fan girls. I look toward Ino Yamanaka, and I see a cloud of depression form around her at being denied a chance to be with her precious Sasuke…

"All right, now for Squad 8…" Iruka begins, pulling my attention back to him. "Squad 8 will be Shino Aburame, Naruto Namikaze, and…Hinata Hyuga." He explains.

There's a silence for a moment, and I look around to see both Naruto and Shino appear surprised for a moment, and then they look around. I see curiosity in Naruto's eyes, and when I look to Shino, I don't see any emotion in the bug user's eyes behind the dark sunglasses he wears…

I'm too preoccupied with looking around the room to notice the members of Squad 9 being announced, until the members of Squad 10 are announced…

"Squad 10 will be Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi." He finishes, naming the last of the 30 students in the class. "Now that you've all got your squad assignments, you're being given a long lunch break to get acquainted with your new teammates." He explains. "You have until 1 o'clock this afternoon to report back here to meet your Jounin sensei."

With that, he allows the papers on the clipboard to fall, and I see the Chunin teacher smile.

"All of you have done well to have become Genin. From this day onward, you are shinobi of the Leaf, remember that." He tells us all.

With that, he walks out of the room, and I see Sasuke Uchiha immediately stand up. The dark haired 12 year old heartthrob walks out of the room without a word, the pink haired kunoichi yelling after him.

"Sasuke, wait up…!" Sakura yells, and I see Kiba sigh heavily as the pink haired girl runs after her crush, Kiba and his dog trudging behind.

_Poor Kiba, it's obvious that he doesn't want to be with the two of them. Sasuke is such a self centered kid, but with what happened to him and his family, it's understandable._

Newly formed teams of Genin get up and walk out of the room, and I get up, walking down the side of the room. I quickly make my way out of the room, my mind going into auto pilot. I manage to get out of the classroom without incident. I start down the hall, only to hear Naruto's voice from behind me yell out.

"OI, Hinata-chan…!" He yells out, and I feel myself start at his loud yell.

I turn around to see him running toward me, and he grins as he wraps his right arm around my neck, leaning on me like a good friend.

"Hey, what're you doing running off like this?" He asks a big happy go lucky grin on his face.

I feel my cheeks flush at the sudden expression of friendship, and the close…personal contact the boy so willingly entered into with me.

"Naruto-kun…" I mutter, feeling my cheeks flush ever further.

"We're supposed to use this time to get to know our new teammates right?" He asks. "We should eat lunch together, and even Shino thinks it's a good idea." He says, motioning toward the classroom door.

I see the bug ninja standing there, his arms at his sides. I see him reach up and push the sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose as he walks toward us. The kikai ninja stops with 3 feet between himself and where Naruto and I stand.

"It would be prudent for us to learn of each other during our extended lunch period." He says.

"Um, but, um…" I mutter, looking like a deer in headlights.

Naruto looks at me with a curious expression.

"Is something wrong Hinata-chan?" He asks. "You look flustered…"

He doesn't seem to his notice his right arm resting on my right shoulder, wrapped around behind my neck…

"Naruto-kun, I believe Hinata-chan may feel uncomfortable with your arm in its current position…" Shino suggests.

"My arm…" The son of the Fourth Hokage mutters, looking down at his arm.

Almost immediately Naruto retracts his arm, and I see him blush.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan, I didn't mean anything." He says, scratching the back of his head.

"It's all right, Naruto-kun…" I mutter, pressing my pointer finger tips together.

There's a moment of silence between the three of us, and Shino clears his throat, reaching up and pushing his sunglasses up again.

"I believe we should locate a suitable location to consume our respective meals." He suggests.

Naruto's eyes seem to light up.

"I know the best place we can go eat!" He says. "Follow me!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

10 minutes later, I find myself sitting a stool in front of the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. The man behind the counter is an older man, and he seems well acquainted with Naruto. Both Shino and I have a menu in front of us. I never knew there are so many types of noodles and ways of serving them.

_Living in the Hyuga mansion and being a part of the head family, I usually eat meals prepared especially for me by a member of the branch family or a paid cook. The meals are good and nutritious, and I wonder why Naruto seems so well acquainted with the owner of Ichiraku's when he could be eating at the Fourth Hokage's home?_

"Do you young people know what you'd like, or do you still need some more time?" The old man asks.

"I'll have a bowl of Miso ramen…" I say.

He nods, and I hand him the menu.

He takes the menu with a nod, and then he turns toward Shino, Naruto already having ordered a bowl of pork Ramen with extra meat. Shino looks at the menu, contemplating what he would like to order.

"I would like a bowl of beef ramen with extra noodles." He finally says, handing the menu to the proprietor.

He takes the menu from Shino, and then goes to work preparing the three orders from his new customers.

"So, we're supposed to get to know each other, you guys have any idea where we're supposed to start?" Naruto asks.

"I believe we can discuss our abilities; or ourselves in general." Shino suggests.

"Well, I'm Naruto Namikaze; my dad is Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage." He says. "I became a ninja because I care about this village, and like my dad, I want to protect it."

_He cares about this village, and he wants to protect it. Those are both admirable goals, but what do I want to do? I want people to recognize me as a person rather then as the container for that damn fox…_

"What about you, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asks.

"Um, well, I'm Hinata Hyuga, and I'm a member of the main house of the Hyuga clan." I explain. "I'm the only child of the main house, so I became a ninja to help myself become stronger so I can inherit the clan."

"A laudable goal…" Shino speaks up, and Naruto turns toward him.

"What about you Shino?" Naruto asks, leaving the question open.

"All right, here are your orders…" The owner of Ichiraku's says, bringing three separate bowls of ramen to the counter, and placing them in front of Shino, Naruto and me.

"All right, thank you Ichiraku-san!" Naruto says, breaking his chopsticks apart.

With a shared 'Itadakimasu' the three of us dive into the food. The ramen is surprisingly good, and as we eat, the three of us don't talk much. Though, after 5 minutes of silence, Naruto opens his mouth after sucking a long string of noodles into his mouth.

"So Shino, what do you want to do with your life?" Naruto asks, asking the big question.

I glance past Naruto toward the kikai ninja, and I can see bugs crawling out of his sleeve and into the bowl of ramen. I feel a shiver run down my spine, fighting the urge to look down at my own bowl and examining it for bugs…

_If I'm this nervous, I can't imagine how Naruto feels about the whole thing…_

"My name is Shino Aburame, and I'm a member of the Aburame clan of the Leaf Village." He tells us all. "I want to become a formidable shinobi and master the various kikai techniques."

"Okay…" Naruto begins. "Well, we know about each other now, so can we ask questions about each other?"

"I believe non personal questions would be appropriate." Shino says.

Naruto turns toward me, and I see him look me in my eyes.

"Why are you always so quiet, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asks. "I mean, you sound like you're a really good person. You aren't mean or anything, so did you always stay by yourself during recess at the academy?" He asks.

"Most of the other students don't like me very much…" I mutter, staring down at the bowl of Miso ramen. "So, I didn't want to force myself…"

"Well, I never thought you were a bad person or anything." Naruto responds. "I would've played with you."

"Well, uh, I didn't want to bother anyone by interrupting them…" I respond, trying to find a way to hold up my end of the conversation.

_I can't tell them the real reason, the real reason the other kids glare at me, and treat me like I'm some monster. I can't tell them, if I do, they'll want me off their team, and then…_

"I do not believe our team mate is comfortable with your line of questioning, Naruto-kun." Shino interjects, still looking at his bowl.

The blonde boy blinks, apparently forgetting that his teammate was even sitting there…

"Oh…sorry Hinata-chan…" He says, scratching the back of his head. "It's just that you're so quiet all the time, I hardly know anything about you."

"Maybe she chooses not to speak, because she simply has nothing she believes is worth contributing to the conversation?" Shino suggests, and Naruto turns toward him.

I can't help but feel relief at the kikai ninja's sudden desire to speak in my defense, having other people looking at me does make me nervous…

_Even when they don't stare at me like I'm a monster…_

"I suppose…" Naruto responds, his tone reflective.

"What about you, Shino-kun?" I ask. "You hardly spoke during our time at the academy…"

The Aburame boy shifts in his chair.

"I simply had nothing worth contributing to the conversation." Shino says, finding as many words as possible to say 'I had nothing to say.'

There's a silence among us after Shino's response. We all start back at our bowls, and I feel relief for this silence. For whatever reason, Naruto seems curious about me and my disposition, which is largely effected by the demon sealed inside my body, which both of my teammates seem to have no knowledge of…

_If you tell them about it, they'll think you're the monster, just like everyone else in the village, and they'll either shun you, or they'll try and get you killed during our missions…_

"Hinata-chan…" Shino finally speaks up.

"Yes, Shino-kun…?" I respond in a formal tone.

"This may be considered a personal question, and therefore you have every right to refuse to answer, but I wish to inquire about your eyes." He begins, and I can tell it takes Naruto a moment to find the question in Shino's statement. "I have seen other members of the Hyuga clan, including the clan leader, Lady Hibana, and none of their eyes possess a coloring like yours do." He explains. "I merely wish to know the origins of the red tinting of your eyes, when other members of your family do not possess it."

_Oh no, I had hoped they wouldn't notice…_

Unfortunately, Naruto's head spins around. I see a curious expression on his face, as though he wanted to ask the question. With his previous attempts making me uncomfortable, he didn't want to risk irritating me on the first day…

"My eyes…" I mutter, and Shino nods.

"Yes, it is a rather perplexing scenario." He responds.

I push my pointer fingers together in a childhood expression of nervousness. For years, my grandmother has scolded me over the nervous habit, and yet I've been unable to break myself of it, no matter how hard I try…

"It's because my father had a child with someone outside of our family bloodline." I explain using the response my grandmother gives to dignitaries from other nations when they come to Konoha for business. "She had a particularly strong eye color, and it was passed down to me." I tell them. "My grandmother tells me I'm fortunate that I was born with the Byakugan, as I easily could've been born with normal red eyes…" I explain, lying to them.

While it is true that my father had me with a woman outside our clan, I have no idea as to the color of her eyes. It is the presence of the Kyuubi No Kitsune within my body that causes the red coloring of my eyes. In history class, we were taught that the demon had red fur and red eyes, with a menacing red chakra filled with murderous intent. I have no proof, but I assume it is the demon's chakra within my body that caused the slight coloring of my normally lavender eyes…

"Oh…" Naruto is the first to respond, sounding thoughtful.

"That answer…is acceptable…" Shino responds, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose again, determined to keep the sunglasses on his face and concealing his eyes.

_Thank Kami that they believed it, but now, I'm lying to them, my own teammates…_

"So, who do you think our Jounin-sensei will be?" Naruto asks, changing the subject.

"One would assume with the diversity of our group, that it would be a shinobi diverse in many different forms of the shinobi arts." Shino suggests. "Though, I would assume your father, the Fourth Hokage, might give you some insight as to the Jounin he would consider for his own son…"

With that, I get a small glimpse beneath the happy go lucky mask that Naruto Namikaze, son of the Fourth Hokage, wears nearly constantly.

His face contorts for a brief moment, and in that moment, I see a solemn, almost depressed expression pass on his face.

"Well, dad didn't tell me anything…" He responds, his tone on the verge of depression.

_Why does he sound so sad? When Shino mentioned his father, his expression changed. The air around him got so solemn, almost sad, what about his relationship to the Fourth Hokage could be troubling him so much?_

"If you think about it like that, the Jounin we'd be assigned would be the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake." I explain. "However, I believe that the Fourth would want his talents focused on the Uchiha survivor, due to no one else in Konoha possessing a Sharingan to teach Sasuke how to use it." I suggest, showing my knowledge of the other shinobi clans in the village.

I look to see Naruto look surprised, and Shino makes no outward expression.

"You know a lot about the Jounin of our village, Hinata-chan." Naruto says, smiling again.

"Grandmother always told me that a good leader is knowledgeable, both of her allies and her enemies." I explain.

"Wise words, from a wise leader…" Shino comments, his tone neutral.

The rest of the lunch goes rather comfortably, compared to the beginning of our time together. We discuss subjects which aren't related to any of the three of us, from the other students at the academy, to the Jounin which could possibly be our teachers. Before I realize it, our lunch time nears its end, and Shino is the one to speak up.

"I believe our lunch period is nearing its end, we should return to the academy to rendezvous with our Jounin instructor." He suggests.

Both Naruto and I nod, and we leave the payment for our bill on the table, the three of us contributing to the total bill. We walk back toward the ninja academy together, though I intentionally walk behind both Shino and Naruto. The two boys walking together and I try to distance myself as much as possible, but yet not appear to be doing so…

_I don't want them to see the looks the other villagers give me, so maybe if I walk behind them, the people won't glare until after they pass._

The other reason I walk behind the two boys, is because I do not want their reputation sullied by my presence. Deep down, I believe that both of them will want me removed from the squad once they learn of my secret. Because of that, I do not want their chances of advancing stunted because they worked with me for even a short period of time…

Shino walks with his hands in his jacket pockets. Naruto walks with his hands half stuck into his pants pockets. I walk with my hands in front of me, my right hand on top of my left, my fingers interlaced and curled in front of me, my knuckles pointed toward the ground. I walk with my head down, trying to avoid the glares of the villagers as I walk by. Fortunately, I walk in the wake of both the son of the Fourth Hokage, and the youngest member of the Aburame clan, and most people give the two of them plenty of space, scarred of one, and fearful of the other…

_At least with people giving them room, I can just walk behind them in their wake, and that way most people won't even notice me. They'll be staring at Shino and Naruto…_

The three of us manage to return to the academy without an incident with the other villagers, though I notice Shino glance backward. Behind the sunglasses I can't see any emotion in his eyes without my Byakugan. The three of us return to the classroom, only this time Iruka-sensei isn't waiting there, the room is empty save for the other graduating students waiting on their teachers.

We take a seat away from everyone, and I want to retreat back to my seat high and behind everyone. I know to sit apart from my assigned team would only draw more attention to myself, and only raise both Naruto and Shino's suspicions that I'm hiding something…

The last of the students file in and take seats, and all of the students, including Squad 7, sit together as their three man cells. We wait quietly as the clock strikes 1 o'clock, and then the door to the classroom flies open. An older man and woman enter the room.

The man is tall, easily one of the tallest shinobi I've ever met, with short dark hair and a sash around his waist signifying him as a member of the Daimyo's personal guard. The woman wears a white robe that comes down to mid thigh, and she has long black hair and red eyes. Her form is slender, and the man is bulkier then she is, a stark comparison between the two of them…

_I recognize their faces, they're Kurenai Yuuhi and Asuma Sarutobi, and they're both Jounin…_

"Squad 10, you're with me!" The man yells out.

I see Shikamaru, Ino and Choji all get up from their seats and walk toward the man. The four of them leave the classroom while the woman stays silent a moment. Looking around, I can see hopeful expressions on many of the other Genin's faces. They want this woman to yell out their team number, so they can finally find out who their teacher is…

"Squad 8, you're with me…" The woman finally speaks up.

Naruto, Shino and I all get up and leave our seats. We follow the woman when she leaves the classroom and leads us through the academy and out into the streets. She stops after 5 steps into the streets, and then she spins on her heels.

"You three are familiar with training ground 8, correct?" She asks, not even bothering to introduce herself.

The three of us nod our agreements.

"All right, meet me there in five minutes, no stragglers." She says, and then disappears in a puff of smoke.

_Training ground 8 is 10 minutes away, at best…_

The three of us take to the trees, and we all head toward the training ground, attempting to make it in time for the unrealistic deadline. I allow chakra to feed into my legs, strengthening the muscles and increasing the force with which I can leap. I don't wear a watch, but I know how quickly five minutes can pass. I try to move as quickly as possible, though I find myself beginning to outrun my teammates, so I intentionally slow down, allowing them to catch up as we move toward our destination…

Five minutes draws ever closer. I release a massive burst of chakra into my legs, not wanting to be late. I take off on my next leap, moving much quicker then I was before. I silently curse myself for trying to make the unrealistic deadline, which I know must be test of our abilities.

I land in the training ground near the five minute mark, and I see our sensei standing there. When my feet touch ground, I see her spin around in surprise. Seeing me standing there, winded, but within the five minute deadline…

"This is unexpected…" She says, confirming my suspicions.

_She intentionally set an unrealistic goal, so see just how quickly we can move from one place to another under impossible conditions. _

"I know what I did was wrong, but please do not punish Shino-kun and Naruto-kun." I say simply. "I only made it here…"

"Because you're the Jinchuriki, right…?" Kurenai Yuuhi asks.

My eyes go wide.

"You know…?" I mutter, and the woman nods.

"I was a genin back then, and I was away from the worst of it. I'm well aware of what happened that day, and I am also well aware of the mistreatment you've been on the receiving end of at the academy."

I don't say anything, though my surprise is evident.

"I also spoke to your grandmother, she told me you know of the law pertaining to your situation, and you're fully aware of it." She says, and I nod.

The Jounin looks up toward the trees. I see her expression shift from a serious expression to calm, reassuring smile.

"It appears as though they've caught up." She says.

A moment later, both Naruto and Shino emerge from the trees, landing next to me, and I feel an apology forming in my throat.

"So, you two finally made it, Hinata have been here for nearly 3 minutes waiting with me." Kurenai tells the two of them.

Both boys are winded, and I can tell they tried to keep up with me as best they could, but they were unable. Because they haven't had as nearly as much training as I have in chakra control and manipulation…

"We are both well aware of that fact, Sensei…" Shino says, his chest moving up and down quickly in the only outward expression of his physical state.

I open my mouth to apologize, though Naruto cuts me off.

"You really poured on the speed there Hinata…" He says, winded enough that he forgets the honorific. "How'd you manage to take off like that?" He asks, not a hint of anger apparent in his voice.

"She did it with chakra, isn't that right, Hinata?" Kurenai asks, and I nod, not saying anything.

"You can manipulate your chakra that well?" Naruto asks, and I feel myself blush, putting my pointer fingertips together.

"Well, it's just…my family…and…" I mutter.

"What she means is; the Gentle Fist form of taijutsu that her family is so famous for relies heavily on chakra manipulation." Kurenai explains. "Because of the skills she learned in that, she was able to apply them to this test." Kurenai continues. "I didn't expect any of you to make it here to this training ground within the allotted five minutes I gave you." The Jounin instructor explains. "It was a test, to see how far and fast you could push yourselves when faced with an impossible situation, and it gave me a good insight into your skill levels."

"Um, sensei…" Naruto begins, and Kurenai shifts her gaze to him.

"Yes, Naruto…?" She asks.

"We haven't even been introduced yet; don't senseis normally introduce themselves to their genin before testing them?"

The Jounin gives her student a smile.

"You're quite correct Naruto, and that's exactly what I was going to do next." She says. "The three of you can sit down and cool off while we talk." She explains.

The three of us do as we're told, and before long, I sit cross legged on the ground. I wonder just what my grandmother would think of me sitting on the bare ground…

I look toward my two teammates to see Naruto sitting with his legs crossed, his arms crossed over his chest. Shino sits to his left, legs crossed, but his arms at his sides.

"Um, Naruto-kun, Shino-kun, I'm sorry…" I mutter to the two of them, hoping Kurenai doesn't hear it.

"What do you have to be sorry for, Hinata?" Kurenai's voice cuts into my ears, telling me she heard every word.

I look to my Jounin to see a stern expression on her face.

"Um, well, I left them behind so I could make it here, and I know that it's wrong to leave your teammates behind…"

"That's true, in a life or death situation, but neither of your teammates was injured, and you had a goal to achieve." Kurenai begins her lecture. "You did nothing wrong, and that skill may be needed in the future, should we ever need an advance scout." Kurenai continues. "What you did was attempt to complete the objective to the best of your abilities, you were not being tested as a team, nor did I want to test you in that manner." She continues. "I wished to see the level of physical ability of each one of my students, nothing more, so you have nothing to be sorry for."

I nod, though I feel as though I was just caught with my hand in a cookie jar, and scolded by my mother…

"Now then…" Kurenai begins, taking a breath, slightly winded after scolding me about apologizing. "My name is Kurenai Yuuhi, and I'm a genjutsu specialist." She begins her introduction. "Until a few years ago, I was an instructor at the academy, and I specialize in information gathering." She says.

Her gaze shifts to Shino, and I see the kikai ninja push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"My name is Shino Aburame, and I wish to learn more about the various insects and kikai in the world." He explains. "I hope to master the various techniques that can be performed with the help of my allies, and one day to become a productive, functioning member of my clan and this village."

_He almost has a hive mentality, could it have something to do with the bugs that live inside of him?_

I feel and suppress a shudder at the thought of things crawling inside my body. I resist the urge to scratch at my arms. I see Kurenai's gaze shift to Naruto.

"My name's Naruto Namikaze and I will become a powerful ninja, worthy of being Hokage!" He explains.

She shifts her gaze toward me, and I look down, avoiding my teacher's gaze.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga, and I became a ninja so one day I can take the burden of leadership of my clan from my grandmother, and become a strong leader myself…" I explain.

I look up to see her smile.

"Good, you've all got hopes and dreams, and all of them seem to involve the three of you getting stronger, am I incorrect in that?" Kurenai asks, and none of us disagree. "Since that is the case, I will do my best to help you three achieve your goals." She finishes.

I feel relief at her words, and I didn't feel any hatred coming from her during the brief conversation her and I had before Naruto and Shino arrived…

"Now then, that being said, Naruto, what in the world are you doing wearing an orange outfit when shinobi rely so heavily on stealth and concealment?" She asks, directing her gaze toward her blonde student.

I see the boy grin, as though he saw this coming.

"I only wear this when I'm in the village, if I get called out on a mission, all of these suits my dad had made reversible. They're green and black on the reverse side, so they're perfect for blending in." He says, pulling the zipper down halfway, and revealing the reversible inside of his suit for all of us to see.

"I see…" Kurenai mutters. "All right, since it's still relatively early, we'll forego going on a mission today, and instead focus on learning to work with each other." She explains. "One of the best ways to learn what your teammates are really capable of, is through FRIENDLY competition in sparring matches, just remember to pull your punches." She says, and I see her cast her gaze at me a moment, and I understand her concern.

_With my Gentle Fist, I could kill Naruto or Shino with a single strike, and she knows that…_

"All right, I don't want things to be mismatched, so Naruto, spar with Hinata." She says.

He looks at me a moment, and then he nods.

"All right, sensei." He says, standing up.

He walks to an open area, and take my backpack off. After I remove the backpack I follow without a word, but I feel Kurenai touch my right shoulder as I pass.

"Remember, don't actually use the Gentle Fist, he isn't your enemy." Kurenai gently reminds me, and I nod.

I walk to a position five feet apart from Naruto. I quickly activate my Byakugan, seeing the blonde boy drop into a defensive stance. I assume a standard Gentle Fist stance with my left arm out and my right arm near my chest. I exhale as I look at him with newly granted insight…

_That's odd, his chakra coils are larger then Grandmothers, but I only see a blue chakra in them. I know grandmother has told me my coils are enlarged due to the presence of the Kyuubi, but for what reason could Naruto have such large coils?_

I don't have time to think about it as the boy springs into a right jab. I shift left, allowing the blow to pass over my left shoulder, mere inches from my ear. I extend my left arm, tapping him in the stomach with my fingertips, my middle finger directly on a tenketsu…

"Whoops…" He mutters, pulling his arm back. "I didn't think you'd be so good at this…" He says.

He nods the point, and we separate, ready for the second skirmish.

"You shouldn't take Hinata lightly, Naruto." Kurenai warns. "That attack she just landed could've sealed off a tenketsu within your body, and damaged your internal organs, had she willed it." Kurenai says lightly.

The blonde haired boy blinks once, and then looks at me a curious expression on his face.

"Is that true, Hinata-chan?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, it is true, but because this is a sparring match, I will restrain the chakra from passing through my arms and into your body. I use my Byakugan only to practice striking the tenketsu, not actually damaging them." I explain.

He nods in understanding.

"All right, let's go…" He mutters.

He starts toward me again. This time he goes low, sweeping his right leg out, trying to knock me off balance. I flip backward, avoiding his strike, and through the entire motion, I watch my teammate through my Byakugan. I see him complete the spin and then lung forward, ready to drive his right palm into my face as I return to a standing position from the flip. It would work, save for the fact that I know its coming.

I get to my feet and then shift backward, using a my left arm, I deliver a palm thrust to his wrist, only enough to shunt his punch upward, not actually hurt him. With his momentum, I fall backward as he goes forward, and I send my right foot into his chest. A light tap against his ribs as he goes over me, and I curl into a ball as I hit the ground. Coming up on one knee, my back to Naruto, but I'm still able to see him.

"Jeez Hinata, how much do you train with this Gentle Fist taijutsu of yours?" Naruto asks, my back to him, though I see that he rolled into a ball and came up on one knee, the same as I did.

"I usually spend anywhere between 4 and 5 hours a day with my grandmother in training sessions after my time at the academy, though those sessions have ended now that I am a Genin."

If you do the math, during my time at the academy, I was working a 12 hour day, spending roughly 7 or 8 hours there, and 4 or 5 more hours at home training with my grandmother. All that training over the many years has resulted in my skill level being higher then an average Genin, though I never paraded my skills in front of the other kids, lest I wanted to be scolded by my grandmother…

_The secrets of our family are to remain secrets Hinata, you must never fully reveal your abilities to anyone but an enemy, and then, you must make sure you take their life…_

Her words come back to my mind, but I ignore them as I stand up.

"I believe that's enough for now Hinata, you've given Naruto something to think about, as well as Shino here…" Kurenai explains.

I look through the Byakugan to see the kikai ninja sitting attentively, and I see him push his sunglasses up again.

The veins around my eyes recede as my bloodline limit turns off. I look toward my teacher.

"Kurenai-sensei did me…" I begin, but I see the woman smile.

"You didn't do anything wrong Hinata, and I'm sure Naruto doesn't think ill of you for besting him in a sparring match." She says, and I look back to my teammate to see him smiling at me.

"You're a good sparring partner Hinata-chan, and it's good that you're so good with that Gentle Fist stuff, because it means the whole team's better because of it." He tells me.

I fight the urge to cry, and suppress the tears I feel beginning to well up in my eyes. No one other then my grandmother has ever treated me this way, accepting me for a person, seeing what I'm capable of and smiling, not scowling at me and calling me a demon…

"Hinata, are you all right?" I hear Kurenai's voice, starting me from my reprieve.

I don't realize until that moment that I was standing there silently. My emotions must've been easy enough to read, as both my teammates and my teacher stare at me. They have a concerned expression on both Naruto and Kurenai's faces. Shino has his head cocked on the left ever so slightly, as if intrigued about something. Both Kurenai and Shino have stood up. Naruto has half walked to the place where they were sitting.

I sniffle, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my gray jacket.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry I was just standing here." I say, walking to the same spot Kurenai and Shino sat at.

I sit down, and Naruto does so as well. I see Kurenai's gaze follow me for a moment. Then both she and Shino enter the 'sparring area' that Naruto and I used to face off against each other.

"Remember to pull your punches Shino, this is a sparring session, and you don't need to have your allies draining off my chakra." Kurenai warns the boy, and I wonder if it's because she's his teacher, or she feels her skin crawl at the thought of bugs crawling on her.

"I only ask that you take the same precautions, Kurenai-sensei." The boy says.

He enters into a defensive stance, and she assumes a taijutsu stance as well. Both Naruto and I watch as Kurenai attacks Shino. The kikai ninja defends; parrying her palm thrust and returning a chambered kick. I watch as my teacher sidesteps, and a moment later Shino's leg retracts in response to his teacher's knife hand chop entering the space his leg used to occupy. The bug ninja stands ready as Kurenai fires a quick 3 punch combo toward him, and he dodges the first two, blocking only the last punch by crossing his arms over his chest. After the block, he drops down and performs a leg sweep, trying to catch his Jounin teacher's legs out from under her. The dark haired Jounin does a single hand handstand backward, avoiding the sweep and coming up on the balls of her feet, assuming a defensive taijutsu stance.

"So, you hid how much you really knew when you were in the academy Shino." She says with certainty. "That stops here, do you understand?" She asks, not once leaving her stance.

The kikai ninja nods, assuming a defensive taijutsu stance.

The two go at once more, but I can see Kurenai getting more and more complicated as she spars with her student, wanting to know the true depths to his skill with hand to hand combat. I see Shino begin to feel winded after nearly 5 minutes, and I can tell that his combat plan is to act as a distraction while his allies attach themselves to his opponent and drain away their chakra, leaving them basically helpless and at his mercy afterward. He isn't used to drawn out hand to hand combat at a Chunin level. Though it's amazing that he's capable of fighting against sensei for as long as he is…

He throws a kick, and it's a moment too slow as she sidesteps, sending a knife edge chop into his chest, with little more then a tap for impact. The boy nods her point, and then takes a step back, ready to continue as she raises her right palm, calling a halt.

"That's enough…" She tells him. The kikai ninja lowers his arms to his sides, his hands finding his jacket pockets.

"Sensei, what do we do now?" Naruto asks as Kurenai approaches us. She motions for Shino to sit next to us.

Shino nods, sitting down next to me without a word.

"To answer your question Naruto, I believe a small talk on the basics of teamwork is in order, since the three of you are new to working with each other." She explains. "The sparring session between you and Hinata Naruto showed me that you've never once seen her fight, much less have any idea how good she actually is, or you would've been much more careful, am I correct?" She asks, and Naruto nods.

"Yeah, well, Hinata never really hung out with anybody during lunch or after school, she'd always eat by herself and then go straight home once school let out." He explains.

Our teacher looks at me for a moment, and then looks toward Shino and then Naruto.

"Do you know why she always ate alone, and never tried to join in on the after school sessions?" Kurenai asks, and I feel a pit of dread form in my stomach.

_No, don't sensei; don't tell them about the Kyuubi…_

I open my mouth to speak to try and tell my teacher to stop speaking, but Naruto speaks up before I can.

"I always just assumed it was because she's a Hyuga, and she couldn't show off her moves to everyone, at least, that's what my dad said when I asked him."

"That may be true for the after school sparring sessions, but what about during your lunch time, what would make her eat alone?" Kurenai asks, almost as if I wasn't here, and she looks at me, giving me a glare that tells me not to respond.

Naruto opens his mouth, and then closes it again, and it is Shino who speaks.

"It is distinctly possible that she ate alone because no one in her class made the attempt at making her feel welcome to eat with them." He says.

Kurenai looks at me, and I see her expression soften.

"Hinata, is that why you always ate alone, and you never really talked, because no one at the academy made you feel welcome around them?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yes…" I mutter weakly, looking down at the ground.

"Do you both see now?" Kurenai asks. "When you're in a team, knowledge of the other members of the team is crucial, and can be the difference between life and death." She explains. "Your lack of knowledge on your own teammate could've lead to your own death at her hands, if she had wished it." Kurenai explains. "And the same is true for when you're on a mission, not knowing what your allies are capable of can cause you to walk into a situation unprepared, and cost you your lives." She tells us all. "While your lives were not in danger today, in the future they may be, and you should never risk your life without full awareness of what your team is capable of." Kurenai finishes.

Both Naruto and Shino nod, and I do so as well, having heard a nearly identical speech from my grandmother. Only with her, it was about leading a team, and knowledge of your subordinates' abilities, instead of your comrades…

"All right, now, we'll work on chakra control exercises, as well as other physical exercises to help improve your stamina and your chakra as well." Kurenai explains.

We spend three hours running drills and going through various chakra control exercises at the direction of our teacher. She works us hard, though I enjoy the time together with my two teammates. Working toward a common goal, rather then questioning me about the many facets of my life. In one exercise, she has the three of us climb a tall tree, wearing a rope tied around our wastes. The exercise meant to show that we're all connected, and if one of us fails, their dead weight will pull us all down. We climb the tree barehanded, moving from branch to branch. We climb together, trying to remain on the same level as one another, but I see Naruto plant his foot on a thin part of a branch. I see it snap, his leg going through where the branch was, his hands reaching out for anything. I quickly lunge out, grabbing his right hand with my left hand, and I concentrate chakra on my right hand, grabbing the branch with my free hand, Shino remaining on the branch.

"I've got you…" I mutter as I hold the hand of the son of the Fourth Hokage, 20 feet in the air.

"Shino-kun…" I mutter, looking up to see the bug ninja standing over me.

"Allow me to help you…" He says, kneeling down.

I strain, trying to lift Naruto up with my weak arm, and I concentrate chakra into my left arm, and I feel my hold on the branch weakening as I shift the energy inside my body. I feel the chakra energize the muscles, and I lift, pulling Naruto up into Shino's waiting arms. The kikai ninja takes the blonde boy onto the branch, and then I pull myself up as well, kneeling on the branch a moment, and I hear Naruto breathing heavily.

"Thank you, Hinata…" He mutters. The three of us are too high up for Kurenai-sensei to hear.

"Your actions were most commendable." Shino remarks and I nod, feeling myself blush.

"We should head to the top, we're almost there…" I suggest, and both boys nod.

As we resume our climb up the tree, I reach a decision.

_I don't want to lose these two as my teammates, they both treat me like a person, like I'm worth something, and I won't let either of them down…_

We make it to the top without another incident. I see Naruto checking the braches he reaches for constantly, not wanting to make the same mistake again. Finally, after nearly 10 minutes, the three of us stand on the highest branch we dare to stand on. We look at each other, and I feel a sense of accomplishment…

"Very good, all of you…" I hear Kurenai's voice, and we all look under us to see her hanging there by her feet, her arms crossed, her hair hanging down toward the ground.

Most surprising of all, the red eyed woman is smiling.

"Sensei…" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Now, all you three have to do is get down together, and this exercise is over." She tells us.

We all nod, and we start back down the tree. The climb down goes much smoother then the climb up, and before long, the three of us are on the ground. The rope still holds us together. I look up to see Kurenai still attached to the tree branch, and in a moment, her feet drop and she flips. She lands on a branch with almost practiced ease. She comes down the tree like a blur of motion, coming to a stop on the ground in front of us with her back to us. She coils her knees to absorb the impact, standing up straight a moment later.

"All right, give me the rope, and the three of you are dismissed until 9 am tomorrow." She says, turning around, holding out her right hand.

We each untie ourselves, and Naruto takes the rope, winding it up into a large circle and handing it to our teacher.

"Thank you, Naruto." She says, and I see the blonde boy smile. "All right, you're all done for the day, tomorrow, if there's time, I'll teach you all how to climb trees without using your hands, though we will have a mission tomorrow, so get some sleep." She tells us.

We all nod, and we start walking away, but I hear her call out.

"Hinata, wait a moment, would you?" I hear my teacher's voice.

In light of the recent teamwork building exercise, not only do I stop, but a few steps later, both Shino and Naruto do too.

"Sensei, is Hinata in trouble for what she did during the tree climbing exercise, because I…" Naruto begins, but Kurenai waves him off.

"She isn't in trouble Naruto, I just need to speak with her in private, you two should go home, your parents are probably wondering when you'll be getting back." She says.

I look back to see the two boys nod, and both of them look at me.

"See you tomorrow, Hinata-chan." Naruto says, waving.

"Until tomorrow..." Shino says in a flat tone.

"See you all tomorrow…" I say, returning Naruto's wave.

The two boys walk off, and I remain behind. I look to see Kurenai-sensei hang the loop of robe over her right shoulder as she approaches me.

"Tell me Hinata…" My teacher begins. "Did you jump to help Naruto because he's your teammate, or because you didn't want to fail the exercise?"

I look down, and I feel myself press my pointer fingers together.

"Um, I wanted to prevent him from getting hurt, he is the son of the Fourth Hokage, and…" I begin, but my teacher cuts me off.

"It's more then that Hinata, I can see it." She tells me. "Tell me, has anyone ever treated you like Shino and Naruto did today?"

I shake my head no.

"Other then my grandmother, no…" I tell her, my voice solemn.

"I see…" She mutters her tone reflective. "I'll have to speak to Lord Hokage about this…"

My eyes jump at her mention of the Hokage.

"No one broke the law, my grandmother only hinted at it, and I figured the rest out, so…" I quickly blurt out.

She shakes her head.

"I don't mean anyone did, not directly in front of you anyway." She explains. "That law is in place to allow you to gain acceptance with those of your generation, but if behind closed doors parents tell their children to hate you, then the law's effect has no real point." She says. "Though, I know Shino's father, he's a good man, and not one to go spreading lies, so I doubt he'd tell his son to shun and hate you." She explains. "As for Naruto, his father is the Fourth Hokage, and the Hokage above all else supports you, and wants to try and help you."

I nod.

"I'm sorry sensei, but I didn't want to let the team down. I didn't want them to think I'm only good for showing them up and beating them in sparring sessions…"

"I've been meaning to ask you about that as well…" She begins. "Your records in the academy have you placed near the bottom of your class, so how is it that you can perform taijutsu so well, when your scores in it are nearly failing?" She asks.

"I…am not allowed to use the Gentle Fist in front of others needlessly, and I know secrets to the clan, so I couldn't use them without being punished for it." I explain.

"Hmm…" She mutters, looking down at the ground a moment, and then she looks back to me. "Does your grandmother know that the instructors at the academy were intentionally lowering your scores?" She finally asks.

I hang my head and nod.

"My grandmother believes they lowered my scores, or nitpicked on my assignments. They wouldn't outright fail me because I'm a member of the Hyuga clan, and they were scarred of my grandmother…"

Kurenai nods once solemnly.

"Thank you Hinata." Kurenai says. "Now, go home and shower and get some sleep, we'll have a mission tomorrow, and you should be rested."

I nod once, and I turn away from her, starting back to the village, toward my home…


	2. Chapter 2

(Well, I've been working on this a while, and I've got another in progress Naruto fic going

(Well, I've been working on this a while, and I've got another in progress Naruto fic going. Though that one involves OC's, I think it's just as good as this one. I'm surprised by the 12 review count after a single night. I really appreciate the reviews, FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOME and appreciated, keep em coming, and I'll keep the chapters coming. Some of you asked about Naruto and Minato, along with Hinata revealing her secret. The only thing I can say is the story focuses on Hinata, but there might be a family dinner with Minato in the future. I wanted to flesh out the only real OC in this one with Hibana in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter, more will come soon, and all will be answered eventually…)

Chapter 2: Ignorance

The next morning I wake up early, getting dressed in a normal uniform. I go to the kitchen and begin cooking a lunch for myself. It doesn't take long for me to assemble a bento for myself, and a thought occurs to me.

_What if the others don't think to bring food, then they'll need food too, and Kurenai-sensei as well. _

I decide to make more of the boxed lunches, and soon, I've got four of boxed lunches ready to go. I quickly pack the four boxed lunches in my backpack, along with a thermos full of herbal tea. It doesn't take long for me to get ready and leave the Hyuga home, heading toward training ground number 8. It doesn't take me long to arrive at the training ground, but I'm early, 20 minutes early to be exact. When I arrive at the training ground, I see Kurenai-sensei standing there. 

"You're early, Hinata…" Kurenai says. 

I nod, and I look down, avoiding Kurenai's gaze. 

"What's wrong Hinata?" Kurenai asks.

"Sensei, I was thinking on my way here…" 

"What were you thinking about Hinata?" She asks. 

"I…I don't want to ruin things for Naruto-kun and Shino-kun." I explain.

"You think you're going to ruin Shino and Naruto's chances of ascending the ranks because you're on the same team?" She asks. 

I nod solemnly. 

"Listen Hinata, you being here will not ruin Naruto and Shino's chances of achieving their dreams or their ambitions." She explains. "If anything, the presence of the Kyuubi within you can give you an edge that other kunoichi don't have. If you can learn to harness the demon's power, then you'll become even stronger then you are now." She explains.

I shake my head.

"I don't want to draw power from that demon; it just feels wrong to me." I tell her.

I see the woman smile.

"That's a good thing Hinata, though there are times when you won't have a choice. When it comes down to it, you may have to draw on that power to protect Shino and Naruto, or yourself." She tells me. "If that happens, will you hesitate?" 

The response comes quickly, with no confusion in it at all.

"No…" I snap back, shaking my head. 

The Jounin's eyes shift, going into the trees. A moment later Naruto and Shino both emerge from the trees. Both boys land near the edge of the training ground, wide awake and ready to go.

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei, Hinata-chan!" Naruto says with a grin.

The Aburame boy merely nods his morning greeting.

"Good morning to you both…" I respond, bowing lightly. 

Kurenai clears her throat, drawing her three student's attention to her.

"Well, now that we're all here, it's time we go accept our first mission." She says, and Naruto grins. 

"All right, LET'S GO!" The enthusiastic blonde boy yells out. 

Kurenai sighs as she starts walking back toward the tower. Shino and Naruto close behind. I intentionally let the three of them get a few steps ahead of me before I follow. I look down to avoid the gazes that I know are coming…

It doesn't take long for the four of us to return to the village and head for the tower. I don't notice Kurenai sensei looking backward every few minutes. The Jounin teacher noticing the scowls I draw from the other villagers. I don't see the anger behind the woman's eyes flash for a moment, only to disappear again. I also don't see Naruto looking at our teacher, seeing our teacher looking back past him toward the third genin in their squad, the son of the Fourth Hokage turning and looking as well. 

I walk in silence as the four of us enter the tower and head into the Hokage's office where missions are assigned. Inside the room the Fourth Hokage, father of Naruto and hero of the village, sits behind the desk in the middle of the long table. He wears the uniform of a Jounin with the long jacket like robe of the Hokage and the Hokage's hat the only items indicating the blonde haired man's status.

"Ah, Kurenai-sensei and her Squad 8, I was wondering when the four of you would be coming in." He says, a familiar happy go lucky grin spreading on his face. 

"Greetings Lord Hokage…" Kurenai says, and the three of us remain quiet. "We're here to request a mission." 

The Yellow Flash of the Leaf nods, grabbing a scroll and handing it to Kurenai, who takes it from her leader with a nod.

"A noble in the village needs his house painted, and has requested that we do the job." Minato Namikaze explains. "Because of the job, he's paying double what a normal D rank mission pays, so this mission is fairly high priority." He explains. "I'll expect to see you back once you've finished the assignment." 

Kurenai nods, bowing lightly.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." She says. She turns on her heels. 

The three of us follow our sensei out of the room and into the hallway. Kurenai leads us down to the streets before Naruto speaks up.

"Sensei, is painting someone's house really a ninja mission?" He asks, and Kurenai stops, half turning toward her student. 

"Naruto, I'm sure your father told you this already, but this village is a ninja village, and that means our shinobi are our primary source of income, supporting the economy." She explains. "Genin are usually assigned to D rank missions, which are usually menial jobs like this one that need to be done, but also bring in income for the village council." She continues. "These missions may seem boring, but they're here because they need to get done. They're a chance for you and your teammates to learn to work together in a non life threatening environment." 

The blonde boy nods his understanding. I look to see Shino standing with his hands in his pockets, a neutral air about him. 

"Well, if there are no further questions, then let's be off." Kurenai says, unfurling the scroll to see the location of the job assigned to us. 

Using the scroll, she leads us to a large dark brown mansion with deep green windows and a deep green roof. As if to prove the point that the home needs a coat of paint. The colors are fading, though the house itself is in great condition. 

Outside the home, an older man with short dark hair waits for us. He wears formal white robes with wooden sandals on his feet. The man appears to be 10 years older then Kurenai-sensei, give or take a few years, with blue eyes. 

Upon seeing me, I see the man scowl, his expression changing when Kurenai speaks up.

"We're the shinobi team you requested to paint your home." Kurenai says. 

The man nods. He claps his hands together twice very loudly. 

The large double doors that serve as a front entrance to the mansion open with servants dressed in common clothes exiting the home carrying buckets of paint and brushes. After five minutes, the servants lay the supplies out in front of us. 

"These will be your supplies; I trust you'll get to work quickly…" He says, turning on his heels.

I notice Naruto frown, and then he speaks up.

"Excuse me, Mister!" Naruto yells. The nobleman stops, turning to look at him.

_At least it wasn't me. If I had been the one to speak, he'd be glaring at me with eyes like daggers…_

"What is it, honorable son of the Fourth Hokage?" He asks, and I see Naruto flinch. 

"Well, uh, it's just that, do you think you can get about 15 more brushes?" Naruto asks. 

_Fifteen more brushes? There are only four of us…_

"Fifteen more…?" The man nearly echoes my thoughts. "But, there's only four of you, what would you do with fifteen more paint brushes?" 

I see Naruto grin, making the sign of the ram with his hands.

I don't see Kurenai-sensei's eyes go wide as chakra shimmers around us a moment before the jutsu happens.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu…!" Naruto yells out. 

The shimmer of chakra explodes into 15 little clouds of smoke that quickly disappear, revealing 15 shadow clones of the blonde genin standing behind Kurenai.

_Shadow clones, but that's a Jounin level technique! Genin like us aren't supposed to be able to use a jutsu like that. How is it even possible that he can use it and create fifteen stable clones?_

Then I remember our sparring session. I remember seeing the enlarged chakra coils within Naruto's body. I realize that the coils must lead him to have a large chakra capacity, meaning he can use techniques like the Shadow clone Jutsu as a genin since he has larger then normal coils…

_I've heard rumors that the Fourth Hokage is the same way, one of the reasons he's considered such a powerful Shinobi is because he seems to have an endless supply of chakra, and that stems from large chakra coils within his body…_

"Uh, well, um…" He mutters. 

The noble sends a servant to go get fifteen more paint brushes as quickly as he can. The servant runs, returning 25 minutes later with fifteen paint brushes shoved into a bag. The fifteen clones, along with the real Naruto, Shino and me, go to work on finishing the assignment. I see the nobleman look at me, a scowl appearing on his face a moment, and then it disappears when a servant from within the home yells for the noble. He goes inside, leaving us to our work as we go about painting his home. Shino paints the home rather precisely, careful to keep his jacket completely clean, and I try to do that as well. Kurenai supervises while Naruto's clones do most of the work, getting up into dangerous situations where falls are likely, and painting the hard to reach areas. I enjoy the simple act of painting, focusing on the task at hand, until Kurenai-sensei walks up next to me, kneeling down so she can lower her voice.

"Did you notice the expression that man gave you?" Kurenai asks, a held fury to her tone, and I nod solemnly. 

"It's all right Kurenai-sensei; I'm used to things like that, so you needn't get angry over it." 

The woman nearly slams her hand onto a wall of wet paint.

"Hinata, IT IS NOT ALL RIGHT, am I PERFECTLY clear on that?" The woman nearly screams, somehow still managing to keep her voice down. "You restrain the Kyuubi every day, and people look at you like you're a monster for it." I can hear the injustice she feels in her tone. 

"Sensei, it's fine, really…" I tell her, my voice sounding more and more depressed. "People have always looked at me like that; you shouldn't get angry about it." 

I see blood trickle down from my teacher's bottom lip as she grits her teeth in frustration and anger.

"Hinata, such behavior is unacceptable, and yet you just allow it to happen…" The woman says; confusion and anger behind her voice. 

"Hey, Sensei…!" Naruto yells, and Kurenai wipes her mouth. She immediately stands, turning toward the blonde boy. 

I feel relief as Naruto begins to talk to Kurenai about something related to our mission. I go back to my part of painting the house.

_I already get enough bad looks because of the demon. I don't need rumors spreading saying I don't carry my own weight._

Even with the fifteen shadow clones, which Naruto has to recreate twice during the 3 hours between our beginning the project and noon, we still only manage to get roughly ¾ of the house painted when Kurenai calls for a time out. 

"Everyone, take a quick meal break." She tells us all.

The four of us gather before the shadow clones disappear in a puff of smoke when Naruto dispels them. Then I see the blonde boy grab at his stomach. I faintly hear his stomach growl at the thought of food.

"Oh, I'm starved…" Naruto mutters. "I woke up late so I haven't had anything to eat since last night…" He mutters. 

Without even thinking, I take my backpack off and open it. I reach inside to grab one of the bento boxes…

"Well, um, I didn't know if we would need food, so I made some this morning…" I mutter, withdrawing one of the lunch boxes.

Naruto's eyes go wide at the thought of free food.

"You made food for all of us?" Kurenai asks, and I nod.

"Yes…" I mutter, handing the box to Naruto.

The boy takes it with a big happy grin on his face.

"Thanks, you rule Hinata!" He happily yells, forgetting the honorific, and I feel myself blush.

When I hand the box to Shino, the kikai ninja nods.

"Your thoughtfulness and preparedness is most appreciated." He says, taking the lunch. 

Kurenai nods, giving me a smile as she takes her bento from me. 

Before long, I have the tea poured out among them, still warm from resting in the thermos since it was piping hot this morning. With a shared 'Itadakimasu' that even Kurenai joins in; we all dive into the food that I prepared. 

I watch the three of them eat, gauging their faces as I slowly eat my own meal. Naruto takes a bite, and then proceeds to shovel the food through the use of his chopsticks down his throat. He smiles the entire time. Shino on the other hand, barely nods his approval as he eats most of half of the meal. Then his kikai swarm eats the remainder, cleaning it up. Kurenai smiles at me as she daintily eats her food, taking occasional sips of tea between bites. Before long, the four lunches are no more…

"That was delicious Hinata-chan!" Naruto yells out, giving me a slap on his stomach of approval. 

"It was most satisfying…" Shino comments and I see Kurenai smile.

"I enjoyed it as well Hinata, I never knew you could cook…" 

I nod, feeling myself blush again.

"Well, when I wasn't training, grandmother wanted me to learn to cook as a means of passing down what she felt it 'meant to be a woman' that she couldn't pass down to my father…" I explain hastily.

"Well, whatever the reason, you're really good at it!" Naruto says; reaffirming his like for the food I made. 

"It wasn't that good…" I mutter, pressing my pointer fingers together. 

"Don't sell yourself short Hinata." Kurenai gently scolds me. "When your teammates give you a compliment, accept it, rather then degrade yourself." 

I nod, ducking my head.

"Yes sensei, I apologize, and thank you for your nice words about my cooking." I quickly shoot out. 

I don't notice the concerned expression on Naruto's face as I look up, his expression changing a moment before I can take it in. 

"Well, I say we finish this delicious tea, and then get back to work, can't have the Hokage waiting all day, right?" Naruto asks, looking at his teammates. 

We all nod, even the normally reserved Shino nods as he finishes drinking the tea I poured for him. The four of us finish eating. My teammates close up their bento and return them to me. I return them to my bag. I slide the now empty thermos back into its place in my bag next to the bento, and we get back to work. 

I start to paint again, working on the section I was working on before the break. With Naruto making more Shadow clones to help with the work. I can't explain how I hear him and Kurenai-sensei talking, but I unconsciously move toward the source of the noise. I see both Naruto and Kurenai standing near each other around a corner. I hide myself at the corner, training my ears when I lean against the unpainted corner of the mansion.

"Sensei, something isn't right with Hinata…" I hear Naruto say, and I feel the blood freeze in my veins.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" Kurenai asks in a neutral voice, a call for reasoning.

"Well, earlier, when we were walking here, I noticed that you were looking back at something, past me. You kept doing it, so I looked and I saw Hinata standing back there. The villagers were all scowling at her, like she did something really bad." He explains. "Then, I noticed our client doing the same thing, and at lunch, when I complimented her cooking, I got the feeling like she'd never heard someone praise her before…" 

"Maybe she hasn't been praised by many people Naruto." Kurenai suggests. "She's grown up without a father, and she's a member of the Hyuga clan, which many people are afraid of because of their power." Kurenai tells him. "People distance themselves from the clan and her because they're afraid of the influence her Grandmother has with the village council." Kurenai continues. "They believe that if they offend her, they'll end up locked in a torture and examination room, or a prison cell." 

The blonde haired boy looks thoughtful at this. 

"If they're so afraid of her grandmother, then why do they scowl at her like that, like she's some kind of monster?" 

I see my teacher smile.

"Maybe you should ask her yourself Naruto, rather then come to me about it." Kurenai tells him, not mentioning the Hokage's law about her being UNABLE to speak about it. 

I don't see her eyes go to me. Though I can tell by her tone that she knows that I'm here, watching both her and my teammate. 

"I can't just ask her something like that. I mean it's rude to just walk up to her and say 'Why do people stare at you like you're a monster?'" He says, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, she already probably thinks I'm a jerk, and I don't want her trying to go to another team…" He says,

His statement is like a needle stabbing my heart.

_He wants me to stay…_

I feel a strange feeling, a sort of heady feeling at the fact that I'm WANTED. That he doesn't want ME leaving HIM, rather then the other way around. 

I see the Jounin smile an honest smile.

"When she's ready, I'm sure she'll tell you. Just be patient until then, and don't let her walk behind you like she does. You're the son of the Hokage, and if she's next to you, then people can't scowl at her, because then they'll be scowling at you too." Kurenai suggests, and the blonde boy nods.

"Thank you Kurenai-sensei." He says, bowing to our teacher. "I appreciate you doing this." 

Seeing their conversation is basically over, I quickly return to my spot on the wall. Returning my brush to the wall and continuing to paint the house, as though nothing was wrong and I never stopped. It doesn't take 2 minutes before I notice Kurenai-sensei walk around the house out of the corner my eye. The Jounin walks straight toward me, and I see her face set in a neutral expression.

"Care to explain why you eavesdropped on the conversation Naruto and I had a few minutes ago?" Kurenai asks, a no nonsense tone to her voice.

_It's amazing how she can be almost motherly at some times, and then as cold as ice other times…_

"I was curious and afraid…" I tell my teacher, my eyes locked on the wall. "I didn't mean to overhear anything, but once I started, I couldn't help but eavesdrop." I explain. "I know so little of what Naruto-kun and Shino-kun thinks of me that I…" I mutter my voice cracking. 

I look to see my sensei smiling, the emotionless look from a moment ago gone.

"Hinata, Shino and Naruto aren't the type to hide the way they feel about you." Kurenai says. "Both of them are so straightforward that I don't think they're capable of concealing a negative emotion." Kurenai tells me. "Both Shino and Naruto have approached me about the looks you garner from the other villagers. Only Naruto just did it. Shino noticed during your first lunch together." Kurenai tells me. "Both of them are concerned as to WHY the people of the village look at you the way they do. They don't understand why the expressions are such hateful expressions."

"Sensei, I…" I mutter, not trusting my voice anymore. 

I feel my teacher's reaffirming hand on my left shoulder.

"When you're ready to tell them Hinata, they'll listen. They won't think of you a monster for it either." Kurenai tells me in a low whisper. "The Fourth Hokage was right to assemble this team like he did. I'm sure that Shino and Naruto will both become lifelong friends of yours once you tell them about the Kyuubi." 

I nod, and I see my teacher stand up.

"Well, I need to go check on Naruto. Try and finish this section up soon. The others are almost done." 

I nod, my teacher walking away at that, leaving me to my thoughts.

_Naruto and Shino both are curious. They have noticed the evil glares people give me. That, and Naruto wants me to stay on his team, he doesn't want me to leave…_

I find myself painting much quicker then I was before. 20 minutes later, I finish my section. I walk around to find Kurenai sensei only to see Naruto and his shadow clones have nearly finished the rest of the mansion. Only a small patch left to paint with 2 Narutos already working on it. 5 minutes later, the job is done, and we all set out paint buckets down. Fortunately none of us got extremely covered in paint, other then a few minor droplets on pant legs here and there…

"Well, we're obviously done here…" Kurenai says, the shadow clones dispelling a moment later. "Thank you for all your hard work, all three of you…" She says, emphasizing the last part of her statement. 

I look back at the house. I watch Kurenai walk up to the front door, carefully ringing the doorbell for the Noble. The Noble appears a moment later. Our teacher has a quick conversation with the Noble. Then she turns on her heels, walking back toward us.

"Let's return to the tower, we have a successful mission to report." Kurenai says. 

She starts walking. I make no move to follow at first, only to feel my right arm pulled. I look to see Naruto with both of his hands wrapped around my right forearm.

"Come on Hinata, walk with me. Tell me about the food you made, it was good and I wanna know what you put in it?" 

I open my mouth to protest, but I feel something bump me from behind, and I nearly stumble, looking back to see Shino standing there. 

"I will take up a rear guard position." The Aburame says. "You need not concern yourself with it." 

I try to protest, but the boy pushes his sunglasses up, in a motion I'm quickly learning means annoyance coming from him. I sigh once and start walking. Naruto walks next to me on my right side. Shino walks slightly behind me and to my left. I hear Naruto continue to talk, asking me about the food I made. I try to answer his questions, and I know the boy is just trying to keep me occupied. He wants to keep my attention off of the glares I get from the people of the village…

While Naruto tries to hide it, I can see the agitation in the posture of the Aburame boy. For once, the normally quiet and reserved kikai ninja allows his sunglasses to lower. He exposes his eyes to the villagers that pass by. I see the people look at me. Then I feel a spike of anger fill the air. I look back to see Shino glaring back at the villagers who walk by, the restrained emotion palatable for only a moment, and then gone again. I don't know if the two young men discussed this strategy to help people stop staring at me. Halfway back to the tower, I stop caring about glares. Instead I focus on my conversation with Naruto about the various ways you can season and spice food for both flavor and other reasons…

"So, you mean if I sprinkle a bunch of this Paptamus herb on something and then eat it, it will cause massive bowel movements?" The blonde boy asks, stars in his eyes. I nod, feeling myself blush.

"That herb is fairly rare. Usually you can't buy it because of the effect it has on the human digestive system…" I tell him. 

He suddenly pouts, looking depressed.

"Oh man, that would've been fun to give to Sasuke, sprinkling some in his food, and watch him go running his 'Elite Uchiha' butt all the way to the bathroom…" 

The thought of the ever serious Uchiha boy running to the bathroom as though he is going to evacuate his bowels in his pants brings a funny image to my mind. I laugh at the thought. The happy laugh is so unlike me, I notice Naruto grinning. Kurenai looks over her left shoulder, a smile on the woman's face. 

"It's nice to see you can laugh, Hinata-chan…" Naruto tells me. I smile at the boy, feeling more comfortable with him now then I ever have with my grandmother. 

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." I tell him, giving him a smile.

I look back to see Shino Aburame's cheeks shift behind me. His face is hidden behind the high collar of his jacket.

When we arrive back at the tower, the Hokage congratulates us on a job well done. He tells us of a mission that just came in; one suited to our teams' abilities. Apparently, the wife of the Daimyo has a cat, and it's prone to escape from its overbearing owner on any opportunity…

Naruto, Shino and I combine our respective abilities to help locate the missing cat, named Tora. Naruto creates 15 shadow clones, sending them out like a search party, while I use my eyes and Shino uses his allies to help locate the creature. One of the infamous female scent producing bugs attaches itself to each of Naruto's shadow clones. When one of the clones finds something, the bug is supposed to give off its scent. This will alert Shino to the pet's presence. 20 minutes into our search, Shino's head pops up.

"A clone 3.2 kilometers to the west of here has discovered the cat, and is attempting to herd it in this direction." She explains, somehow able to draw all of that from the insects living within him. 

I scan the area Shino indicates with the four of us moving in to locate the cat. Naruto uses a wireless radio in each of his clones to bring the small army to bear. With my Byakugan, I scan ahead, looking for the pet.

It isn't until we get within 100 meters that I see the cat. I see 3 of Naruto's shadow clones wrestling the cat. They try to hold onto the house pet as it claws and scratches, trying to get free. 

The four of us arrive in time to see the cat get free. It spots Kurenai-sensei, and runs toward her. The cat leaps into her arms. The cat looks around like a scarred mouse.

"Oh, did these people surprise you?" Kurenai asks the animal. "Well, we'll put you somewhere safe until we get you back to your owner." 

Shino holds the cat carrier given to us by the Daimyo's wife. Upon seeing it, the cat freaks. It tries to get away from Kurenai-sensei. She manages to get it inside the carrier and lock the door, effectively ending our mission.

"Well, this is done, we should head back." She says, clapping her hands together to get the fur off of them. "If you three keep this up, we'll have to start doing two missions a day." 

I think on that when the four of us head back toward the tower. This time, I don't try to walk behind Naruto and Shino. Instead I walk with them, enjoying their company as they enjoy mine. Though Naruto and I do most of the talking the entire trip. Shino does speak when he feels 'inclined' to do so. Though, it isn't long before we return the now howling cat back to its owner. Seeing the older woman lock the cat in a vice grip before she rubs her cheek against it.

The woman pays the Hokage, taking her pet and leaving without another word. 

"The poor cat…" I hear Kurenai-sensei mutter after the Daimyo's wife is well out of earshot. 

The three of us stand in the Hokage's office. I see the Fourth Hokage smiling, not just at his son, or the completed mission. I get the feeling he's smiling at ME, at my making friends with the two people my age. 

"Well, I've issued all the missions I have for today. So I'm afraid you'll have to wait for tomorrow. Although I must commend you three on locating that lost cat so quickly." He says with a grin. "I guess I was right to hold onto that mission until you four came back." 

"Lord Hokage, you didn't have to retain that mission for my team, and in the future I ask that you do not." Kurenai says. "We will perform our missions quickly and efficiently, and earn our second mission of the day, rather then have it have it given to us on a platter." 

I see the Hokage smile at his subordinate. 

"I wanted to give that one to someone who had a member of the Hyuga clan on their team because of their Byakugan." He explains. "Since Team Gai is currently out on a peacekeeping mission, I didn't have any choice but to assign it to your team, Kurenai." 

"In the future, Lord Hokage, please do not treat myself or my team with special treatment, I can assure you, it is totally unnecessary." 

"I will remember that, Kurenai." He says, the smile having never left his face. 

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Kurenai says, bowing to the man. She then turns around, leading us out of the room and out of the tower. 

When we hit the streets, Kurenai stops and turns around. She looks at her three charges with a smile of pride.

"You three have done well today, and if today is any indication, we'll be doing well in the future as well." She says.

She looks to each of us, her eyes going back to Naruto.

"Naruto, when did you learn the Shadow Clone jutsu? You never displayed having known it at the academy?" Kurenai asks. 

The blonde boy grins, scratching the back of his head. He shows the family resemblance. 

"I only learned it last night. Dad taught it to me after I graduated the academy. He told me it would come in handy." 

I see our teacher smile.

"Well, it is a powerful technique. Please be careful with it; it can kill you if you aren't." 

The boy nods.

"I know sensei; dad told me all about the technique before he let me go to bed last night." He explains.

"Well, the three of you are dismissed until 9 am tomorrow, at our normal meeting spot." Kurenai tells us all. 

We all nod our agreements, and we each leave to go to our respective homes. I manage to get home without incident. I see my grandmother isn't home, probably held late at a Village council meeting. I take a long bath and then go to bed, wanting to get rest for my next day as a shinobi…

_If the rest of my days with Squad 8 are going to be as good as this one, then I'm in for a good career as a shinobi. _

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next few days pass in relative routine. The four of us meet early in the morning, we get a mission, and we perform it, and then go back and get another mission. None of them are particularly dangerous, but it does get boring after a while. It's worse after all the lectures about life and death at the academy. Going on missions where your life isn't on the line just seems like a let down. 

However, we all know better. None of us are surprised when we hear about Squad 7, how Kiba complained about having to do so many menial tasks. They get assigned to a C rank mission, sending all four of them, Kakashi Hatake included out protecting some bridge builder. 

I shrug when I hear the news, thinking of how happy the pink haired Sakura must be. She gets the person she's so infatuated with away from the village for an extended period of time…

"Um, Kurenai-sensei, when do you think we'll get a C rank mission?" Naruto asks as while head back to the tower for the second time during the day. 

"D rank missions are given to help you learn to work together as a team. What happened to Squad 7 should be looked at as a punishment more then a reward." Kurenai tells us all. "Your father gave them that mission to try and scare them into realizing how well they have it. Not having to risk their lives, and knowing that they'll come home when the mission is done." She tells us all. "Imagine how distraught your parents would be if they found out you were killed in the line of duty." Kurenai tells us all.

_I don't know about the others, but I know grandmother would probably die. If I die, then there won't be anyone left to lead the clan in the main house anymore. Only branch family members will be left. I don't want that to happen, I don't want to see my grandmother saddened so…_

We complete the return to the tower in silence. Making our report, we then leave for the day. After we return to the streets, I hear Naruto's stomach growl, and the boy looks abysmal about something.

"Oh man, I'm so hungry, I haven't had anything since lunch, and dad's going to be out late tonight…" 

It's only then that I remember what my grandmother said the day before.

"Hinata, if you ever get the chance, I'd love to meet these teammates you speak of so candidly at dinner sometime. You should invite them over for an informal dinner." Her words echo in my ears.

When I ask about that being okay, if it is permitted, she only told me that she is the leader of the clan. She can break the rules of the clan every now and then. After that, she asked if I trusted both Shino and Naruto. When I gave her my nod, my grandmother smiled.

"Then, we have nothing to worry about…" Her response echoes.

"Um, well, if you both don't have any objections, my grandmother has wanted to meet the both of you…" I manage to speak up. I see both Naruto and Shino look at me with a curious expression.

I see Kurenai's eyes wide in the impact of what I just said, though the Jounin remains quiet. 

"Do you mean to extend an invitation to dinner at your home, Hinata-chan?" Shino asks, and I nod.

"Yes!" I respond, bowing my head. "I know it's sudden, but Grandmother Hibana really wants to meet both you and Naruto-kun, Shino-kun…" I tell her. 

The Aburame boy looks at Naruto, and then back to me.

"We are both hardly dressed for a formal meeting with the leader of the Hyuga clan…" He points out, and I shake my head.

"Grandmother wants this to be informal, and I'm sure she'd like to meet you too, Kurenai-sensei." 

Both Naruto and Shino look to our teacher, who shakes her head.

"No, I'm rather busy tonight, so I must decline the offer, but give your grandmother my regards and my thanks for the invitation." She says. 

I look back to my two teammates, and Naruto shrugs.

"If you're sure it's okay with your grandmother, I'll come." Naruto says. 

I look to the kikai ninja, and I see him slide his hands into his pockets.

"As long as my presence is not an intrusion, I will need to notify my family of the change in plans." He says.

I nod.

"I need to go tell grandmother the good news, so you probably should wait half an hour or so before you come over…" I tell the both of them. 

I quickly write down directions to the home. I take off, taking to the rooftops to get back to the Hyuga mansion quickly. My steps are quickened by the good news. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It doesn't take long for me to make my return to the Hyuga mansion. When I arrive, I find my grandmother in her chamber. I inform her of our approaching dinner guests. The woman smiles when she goes into a frenzy to prepare for the arrival of the first outsiders to see inside the Hyuga home in several generations. The house comes alive as dinner is prepared. The guests waited for. I move swiftly through the home, exiting the mansion. I walk into the street, waiting for the arrival of my two teammates. I wait in the street, the house behind me bustling with servants preparing the dinner for my grandmother and me along with our guests. Soon enough, I see both Naruto and Shino walking down the street toward my home. I see both boys still wear their normal clothes as they approach me. 

"Hey, Hinata-chan…" Naruto says, scratching the back of his head. "Are we too early or something?" 

I shake my head. 

"No, you aren't early, but dinner won't be for almost 20 minutes." I tell them. "You're both welcome to come inside; I'll show you to the sitting room." I tell them. 

Naruto nods and I hardly notice Shino perform the same action. I open the front door to the mansion, leading both boys into the house proper. The Hyuga mansion has many rooms, some of them devoted to teaching the Gentle Fist and the Byakugan. Though very few people that are not related to the clan have been within the walls of the mansion, there's practically every type of room in existence within the house. I lead the two of them to the sitting room. Wanting to have both of them sit there while my grandmother prepares to meet them before dinner is my general idea. Both of them leave their shoes at the door in a show of respect, their bare feet sliding against the smooth wooden floor. 

The sitting room is a 30 foot square with soft paint on the walls. A dark sofa rests on against one wall with a corner sticking out from the wall, a coffee table inside the corner. 

Naruto takes a seat on the couch, with Shino standing near the table. His hands rest in his pockets. Naruto relaxes into the couch, and I see the blonde boy glance around the room rather anxiously. The Aburame boy doesn't appear to be showing any outward emotion, though I can see in his body language that he's uncomfortable…

"Is something the matter?" I ask both of them. "Have I done something to make either of you feel unwelcome?" I ask. 

Naruto glances toward me, and I see him shake his head. The Aburame boy pushes his sunglasses back to the bridge of his nose, barely shaking his head no. 

"I believe it is the unfamiliar surroundings which attribute to the uneasiness Naruto-kun and I feel." Shino explains, telling me he does in fact have emotions. 

"It's just this house Hinata-chan." Naruto says, looking around again. "I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like I don't belong here. Like this house isn't welcoming me here." He explains. 

Naruto cocks his head toward Shino a moment, the Aburame boy shifting to his left.

"This home possesses a certain ambience which does not radiate an expression of welcome." He adds his opinion. 

I look down, pushing my pointer fingers together.

"I…I don't mean to make you both feel unwelcome." I explain, hearing embarrassment in my voice. "Few people are allowed into home who aren't a part of our bloodline, but I assure you that my grandmother wants you here…" 

Before either Naruto or Shino can open their mouths to continue the conversation, the door to the hallway opens. I see my grandmother Hibana standing in the doorway, wearing her usual white robes. The clan leader enters the room with quiet elegance and grace. The older woman looks around at the three young children in the room. I see her smile happily at the scene.

"So, you must be Naruto-chan and Shino-chan." Hibana Hyuga says using a child's honorific.

Naruto nearly leaps up from the couch, spinning around and facing my grandmother. The son of the Fourth Hokage bows to my grandmother.

"It is nice meeting you, Lady Hibana." He says with his head bowed.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Hibana." Shino chimes in with a respectful tone. 

I see my grandmother smile again, but then gently shake her head.

"You both are my granddaughter's teammates, you protect her life as she protects yours, please, just refer to me as Hibana." My grandmother tells them.

My eyes go wide at this, at the unprecedented nature of my grandmother's statement.

_For as long as I can remember, I'm the only person she's ever allowed to call her by her first name without using some sort of honorific or title. Now she wants both Shino-kun and Naruto-kun to refer to her with just her first name…_

Both Naruto and Shino bow to my grandmother, showing their respect. 

"We appreciate the courteous action, Hibana…" Shino says, speaking for both him and Naruto. 

I see my grandmother smile.

"Well, shall we eat dinner?" Hibana suggests. "I will lead you three to the dining hall." 

The three of us nod to my grandmother's suggestion. She leaves the room; the three of us close behind. Hibana leads the three of us to the Hyuga dining hall. The entire time I watch my grandmother, my eyes constantly scanning the familiar surroundings. The four of us sit down to dinner, the entire time I look around trying to find any sort of foul play that my grandmother might have ordered. Throughout the entire dinner, both Naruto and Shino appear to be on their best behavior. Both of the boys eat formally. Shino keeps his kikai bugs within his body. I've never seen the boy eat without giving part of his portion to the bugs inside him. I assume that he retains the bugs inside to prevent a bad impression from being made on my grandmother. Naruto on the other hand, uses his chopsticks daintily, eating small bites very slowly. Normally I can see the boy chow down a bowl of pork ramen in 2 minutes, leaving nothing in the bowl but air…

_They're both acting so different, are they doing this because my grandmother is here? I guess it's only to be expected, she's the leader of the Hyuga clan, and both of them know how important she is…_

"Naruto-chan, Shino-chan…" Hibana begins. "I would like to ask both you a favor…" 

Both boys look somewhat taken aback by my grandmother's sudden request. 

"What is it, Hibana?" Naruto asks, using a respectful tone. 

"I'm sure both of you are well aware that I am not long for this world…" She begins. "Because of the situation with our clan, Hinata is unlikely to be able to assume leadership of our clan until many years into the future." She explains. "When I die, my son's twin brother, Hizashi will assume temporary control of the entire clan until such time as Hinata can assume command of our family." She continues. "I would ask that both of you watch out for my daughter. She is strong, but there may be people who would wish to see her dead after I'm gone." She continues. "I know that after I die, she will have very few allies in this world. I would ask that both of you watch over her during the hard times to come." 

Both Naruto and Shino appear awestruck at my grandmother's words. 

"I will…" Naruto says. "I give you my word, I'm not gonna let ANYONE hurt Hinata-chan!" 

I see Hibana smile.

"The word of the son of the Fourth Hokage isn't something to be taken lightly…" Hibana grins. 

"I will avow my protection of your granddaughter…" Shino says. 

I see my grandmother continue to smile. 

"I think my granddaughter will be in good hands when I exit this world. I know that I will be able to rest peacefully with that knowledge." She says. 

Naruto scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. 

"Just try not to die too soon…" He says.

Then both Hibana and I begin to laugh at Naruto's statement. I actually hear Shino chuckle almost inaudibly at the joke. 

The rest of the dinner couldn't go better. Once the meal is over, Naruto and Shino remain for a short time. They talk with my grandmother, listening intently to her stories about her prime. She discusses her sensei, her father, and her son, my father, the hero who died to save our village. The entire time, I don't feel left out or distanced. For the first time in along time, I feel as though I belong. Once my grandmother finishes her stories, both Naruto and Shino get up. My grandmother says her farewells to both of them. 

I lead both of them through the house toward the front door. Both of them walk in silence. I can tell that both of them are no longer as uncomfortable as they were when they entered the home. Nearly 3 hours have passed since they entered the house. When the three of them leave the home after slipping into their shoes at the front door, they both wave good bye to me. I smile at them, telling both of them that I'll see them tomorrow, both of them returning the sentiment. 

Returning to the Hyuga mansion, I feel happier then I ever have in a long time…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning, I wake up early and prepare 4 bento lunches. I fill my thermos with piping hot herbal tea. I seal the lid and put the food into my small backpack. I slide the backpack on my shoulders. I leave the Hyuga home and head toward the training ground I've learned to know as our team meeting spot. I arrive early, seeing Kurenai-sensei waiting there. The woman looking like she hasn't had much sleep the previous night.

"Um, Kurenai-sensei, is something the matter? You appear very tired…"

The older woman sighs heavily, showing her exhaustion.

"I had a long night Hinata." Kurenai says. "I've learned some disconcerting information that pertains to you and the people of this village." She explains.

"Disconcerting information…?" I ask, and she nods.

"Apparently, the negative reputation you have amidst the villagers is due to slander that you've been victim to in the village council." She tells me. "There have been random events, things turning up missing, damage done to buildings late in the night, and you've received the blame, being the Jinchuriki." Kurenai explains. "Your position within the Hyuga family has always given you a solid alibi to explain your location during the time of the incidents. However the ignorance and fear the people of this village feel toward you blinds them to any logic." 

"I see…" I mutter, looking down, feeling a wave of depression overcome me.

_Are the only allies I have in this world Kurenai-sensei, Shino and Naruto? Does no one other then my grandmother in this village believe that I'm anything other then a monster? If that's so, and everyone feels as though I'm the monster, then…_

The sound of people approaching interrupts my thoughts. Kurenai-sensei looks up to see both Naruto and Shino approach the training ground. Both genin look like they haven't heard anything of the conversation between our teacher and I. 

"Well sensei, are we gonna do missions today?" Naruto asks, both of them stopping near our teacher.

Our sensei shakes her head.

"No, you won't be doing missions today." She tells us all. "I promised that I would teach the three of you how to climb trees without using your hands, and I should've done it your second day with me." 

Naruto frowns.

"What do you mean sensei?" He asks. "We can already climb trees." 

Kurenai nods once.

"Yes, you can, but you must learn to climb trees without using your hands." 

"You mean, with using chakra to adhere our feet to the tree?" I ask, and Kurenai nods.

"Yes, very good Hinata." She tells me. "Chakra control is essential in this skill, and once you master this ability, you'll find using other jutsu will be easier as well." 

The three of us nod, and I see Kurenai smile.

"I'll have the three of you at the top of these trees by the end of the day." She explains. 

She places a kunai in front of each of us. I look down at the knife. I see my teacher smile.

"Use these to mark off how high you go each time you try." She explains. "Once all three of you are at the top of the trees, this training will be over." 

The three of us nod. I already understand the basics of the technique.

2 hours and 20 minutes later, I stand at the top of a 30 foot tall tree. I hang down from the highest stable branch. My backpack rests on the ground near the base of the tree. I took it off before attempting this exercise. I look down. I see both Shino and Naruto attempting to climb their respective trees. Both of them attempt to run up the tree. Each time they both fall away. I see Naruto nearly spring off the tree he's attempting to climb. Shino's feet on the other hand fall away. I feel something touch the branch I'm attached to. I look to my left to see Kurenai-sensei sticking to the branch like I do. 

"I see that you're more then capable of using this technique, in spite of your prisoner…" She whispers to me, out of earshot of my teammates. 

"When I was a lot younger, I had problems with chakra control, but my grandmother tutored me a lot before I entered the academy." I tell her. "Learning to use the Gentle Fist forced me to master my chakra control, so now it isn't really a problem. I just have to learn to restrain the amount I use…" 

"Well, both of them look like they're trying so hard, but they're both not making much headway." She explains. "I can disassemble what they're doing, tell them what they're doing wrong, but I don't think it would mean as much if you told them." She suggests. "I'm sure you can see what they're doing wrong, and help them Hinata." She tells me.

"But, isn't it more important if you tell them, you're our teacher…" I protest.

She shakes her head. 

"Helping out your teammates, building a trust foundation with them is even more important then my being their teacher." She tells me. "If you help them with this, they won't look at you like a teammate; they'll consider you a friend rather then their teammate." 

She makes several quick signs, and then disappears in a puff of smoke. 

I wait there a moment while the smoke disappears. I look down to see both Naruto and Shino attempt to climb the tree again. As with the other attempts, the boys make a small amount of headway up the tree, and then both of them fall away. They both land on their feet. I hop down, landing on the branch. I go down from branch to branch, landing on the ground. Both of my teammates look at me. I see Naruto frown. 

"Hey, Hinata, you're really good at this, and well, with Kurenai-sensei gone…" He begins, though Shino promptly elbows the boy in the ribs. I see Naruto wince.

"I believe Naruto wishes to express a request for assistance, since you show formidable ability in this skill." He says.

I blush, feeling myself push my pointer fingers together. 

"Well, if you both can try climbing again, I can use my Byakugan to examine your chakra…" 

Both of them nod. I see them use the generic hand sign. I activate my Byakugan when the two of them take off up the tree. I see both of them start up their respective trees. Their feet plod up the tree. Shortly after they pass their respective marks, they both fall away. I see both of them flip in mid air and land on their feet. They both turn and look at me. I see a desire for answers in Naruto's eyes, while Shino's eyes are concealed by his sunglasses... 

The veins around my eyes fade when the two of them approach me. 

"Well, you both appear really hungry, and your hunger can affect your chakra control." I tell them. "I made some food, so I think a lunch break would be a good idea." I tell them both.

I see Naruto's eyes light up at the thought of getting some of my cooking. Shino appears his normal unemotional self. We sit down on the ground. I hand out the bento lunches. I withdraw the thermos from my pack, along with three of the disposable cups packed in the bag. I pour the herbal tea into the cups. Both of my teammates accept the tea.

"Itadakimasu…!" Both of them yell out. They dive into their food.

Naruto practically shoves his food into his mouth. Shino eats with a more normal reserve. I eat the third bento. The one I made for Kurenai-sensei still rests in my bag. Naruto chomps on the food. He enjoys the chicken teriyaki and white rice I made. Shino eats half of his bento, and then allows his bugs to consume the remainder. I see Naruto finish the food quickly, patting his stomach happily.

"That was really good, Hinata-chan…" He says, giving me a happy grin. "I'm still a little hungry though…" He mutters.

I blink once, reaching into my bag once again.

"Here, I made one for Kurenai-sensei, but she's getting lunch out, so its extra food and I don't want it to go to waste…" I tell him.

I hand him the bento. I see his eyes light up, and then he gains a look of concern.

"Are you sure it's okay?" He asks, and I nod. 

"Yes, it's fine, you can have it, and I don't want the food to go to waste…" I repeat myself

I see the boy smile.

"All right…" He says. He readies his chopsticks to annihilate the second portion of food.

I see him glance toward Shino. Then I see thoughtfulness spark in his head. 

"Shino, you want to split this with me?" He asks. "I mean, I don't want to eat it all…" 

The bug ninja shakes his head at first, and then he nods. 

Naruto uses his chopsticks to separate the bento in half, and then empties half of it into Shino's bento. The boys finish on the second box lunch. Finally they clean all three of the lunches up, leaving no trace of the food. I finish my lunch as well, pouring out the remainder of the tea between us. Before long, both of them are fed and fully rejuvenated. Once they're done the meal, they look to me with the same expression they gave me earlier.

"I believe that you offered your assistance with the tree climbing exercise?" Shino asks what I can only assume is a question. 

"Uh, well, yes…" I mutter, pressing my fingers together. "Well, with you Shino-kun, your chakra starts out normally, but as you scale up the tree, you draw chakra away from your feet trying to use the least amount of chakra you can. I believe it's because of your body's unique structure." I explain. "Since you constantly draw chakra away from your feet, you slowly lose grip until you fall away." I tell him. "Naruto-kun, you're the exact opposite…" I begin. "You channel chakra on your feet, and then you focus more and more onto your feet and you end up knocking yourself away from the tree." I tell them. 

"So, I need to focus less chakra on my feet?" Naruto asks, and I nod.

"And I need to regulate the amount of chakra in my feet, keeping the amount constant?" The other boy asks.

I nod my agreement, both of them standing up. 

The two of them start trying to climb the tree, and both of them make a large amount of progress this climb. The two of them still fall backward, but their progress on this climb compared to the previous attempts is obvious. Both of them flip and land on their feet. Naruto looks up at the tree with wonder in his eyes. Shino instead presses his hands together, preparing for another attempt up the tree. I watch as both of them go up the tree 3 more times each. On the third climb, both of them make it to the highest branch on their respective trees, without using their hands…

Both of their stomachs move up and down quickly, indicating that both of them are heavily winded. It didn't take a lot for me to climb the tree. I quickly mastered the ability, unlike the both of them. 

_I also had an unfair advantage. My grandmother has taught me for years on how to control and manipulate chakra. Because of all that training and time I spent with her, chakra control is second nature to me, in spite of the large amount I seem to have…_

I look up to see both of them leap down from branch to branch. Finally both of them land with their feet on the ground. I see Naruto look at me, a big grin appearing on his face.  
"Yeah…!" He yells out, jumping into the air.

Then I see him charge for me, and I don't know what to do as the slightly larger boy wraps his arms around me in a bear hug.

"You rule Hinata!" He yells out happily.

He holds me in the air, and I feel my face flush, my world beginning to spin. He starts to jump up and down in celebration. My world both spins and bobs at the same time…

"Naruto-kun, I believe your action is distressing our teammate." I hear Shino's voice before my world goes dark…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The sound of voices pulls my mind back to consciousness…

"Naruto, what did you do to her?" I hear Kurenai-sensei's voice scold Naruto. 

"Uh, nothing, honest…!" Naruto protests her accusation. "All I did was give her a hug, and she passed out, honest!" 

I moan as my body fully returns to consciousness. The conversation stops when I slowly sit up, opening my eyes. 

I see Shino standing near me, with my own body lying on the ground. Naruto and Kurenai-sensei stand roughly 5 feet away. Kurenai stands over him like a parent who just caught their child in the cookie jar. Naruto stands with his shoulders slumped. Kurenai stands over him, leaning toward him slightly to give off a more intimidating presence. 

"I believe she has awakened…" Shino says rather loudly. He half turns toward the two of them. 

Kurenai immediately turns toward me and walks past Naruto. She moves next to me and kneels down, looking me over.

"Are you all right Hinata, he didn't hurt you, did he?" She asks, and I shake my head.

"I just passed out for a short while, please don't tell my grandmother." I respond to my teacher's inquiry. 

I see relief pass through my teacher's face. A sigh escapes her lips. I see her posture relax, and I can tell that she's relieved that Naruto didn't do anything intentional to knock me out.

"I'm fine; please don't punish Naruto-kun…" I insist, and I see my teacher smile for a brief moment. 

"All right, I won't do anything, but I'd like to know what happened that caused this." She tells me.

I give her an explanation, telling her that both Shino and Naruto managed to climb to the top of the trees. This fact seems to spark her curiosity, though she listens intently to the remainder of my explanation.

"I see…" She responds, standing up. 

Her gaze shifts to Naruto. I see the boy flinch from the look.

"Naruto, in the future, I would refrain from the physical expressions of happiness when it comes to Hinata." She tells him. "I know you were happy that you climbed the tree, and that she helped you. Hinata isn't used to being hugged by anyone, right Hinata?" She asks, and I nod solemnly. 

Naruto looks perplexed at this statement.

"You mean your grandmother never hugged you when you were little?" He asks, and I shake my head.

"My grandmother is the leader of our family. It would improper for her to express her emotion in such a manner, even in private." I tell him. I see his shoulders slump once again.

"That sucks Hinata, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you pass out or anything." He tells me, bowing to me. 

I nod, returning the bow. I look up to see our teacher smile. 

"Well, since I'm here now, why don't you both show me just how good you've gotten?" Kurenai asks.

Both Shino and Naruto nod. I stand up when the two boys move to their respective trees. I watch both of them make a generic hand sign, forming chakra around their feet. Both of them stand still for a moment. Then they take off up the tree. Both of them climb at nearly the exact same speed. In moments both of them stand on the highest branches, hanging upside down. 

"Very good…" Kurenai tells them. "Come on down, and I'll teach the three of you a technique." 

Naruto nearly leaps the entire way down at the thought of learning a new jutsu. Naruto hits the ground running. He skids to a stop in front of Kurenai. Shino, on the other hand, moves at a normal pace. He stops next to Naruto. I take my place next to them with Kurenai-sensei stepping back three steps.

"This is called the 'Earth Release: Mud Wall.'" She tells us. "It requires you to use both Earth and Water element signs to manipulate the chakra, and create a wall of mud in front of you." She explains. "The technique can be made easier by concentrating water chakra in your stomach; and spitting it up to create mud, but for now, the three of you should work on just mastering it." She says.

She shows us the sequence of signs, and explains how to manipulate the chakra into the ground in front of you. She holds the last sign before she then creates the four foot tall wall of mud that springs up out of the ground. I watch as the mud wall loses solidity a moment later, turning into a thick muck that slides downward. 

All of us move away from the pile of mud, including Kurenai-sensei. She smiles when she walks around the 4 foot wide puddle of mud. Then she looks at the three of us.

"You three try to master this technique, it's extremely handy in close quarters, though if your opponent is really determined, it won't stop them." 

We all nod before we separate. We each make the signs, trying to master the jutsu under our teacher's watchful eye. Shino is the first to perfect the technique, creating a small 2 foot high wall that quickly turns into muck. The boy doesn't even smile at his success. I continue to work, performing the signs until I too manage to create a mud wall.

The only problem with my wall is that it springs up 6 feet high, and is thicker then the wall Kurenai-sensei created.

I move to get away from the pile of muck the wall becomes. Fortunately I keep my clothes clean. Kurenai pulls me aside, whispering to me as Naruto continues to work. 

"Try to limit the amount of chakra you use in this." She tells me. "I know you've got a lot, but about half of what you used will be more then enough." 

I nod, my gaze shifting back toward Naruto. I watch the boy try one more time, and then he meets with success. 

His mud wall isn't as big as mine is, though like me, he clearly used too much chakra to power the technique. He too, moves away from the pile of muck, landing on his feet from the short hop. I look to our teacher, and I see her smile.

"Well, they weren't perfect, but each of you managed to master the technique." She explains. "There are other techniques I know that I will teach you in time, but for now, you three should work on your basics." She tells us all. "Now, we'll have a workout session, though you should each refrain from using the Mud wall for a while, it's a rather messy technique to get a teammate involved in." 

We all nod. Kurenai-sensei has Shino and I spar against each other. Fighting against the Aburame boy, I keep my Byakugan activated. Not only to see his tenketsu, but also to keep his 'allies' off of me and my chakra. His hand to hand combat skills are impressive for a Genin. The two of us go back and forth for several points on each of us. Kurenai calls a halt after 10 rounds. She motions for us to sit down.

"Okay, Naruto, now you'll spar against me." She says. 

The boy gulps, swallowing the saliva in his mouth before he stands up. He moves to stand across from his teacher.

"All right Naruto, whenever you're ready." Kurenai tells him, assuming a taijutsu stance.

He nods, assuming a taijutsu stance as well.

There's a calm air a moment between them. Then Naruto attacks. Kurenai easily parries his left jab, only to duck aside the following right jab. Her right hand comes up for a right hook, only to meet Naruto's left arm. The two of them begin what looks like an intricate dance of block, attack, parry, block, attack, and parry. Though you can never tell by looking, Kurenai-sensei holds back against the blonde student. She knows her full skills would leave the boy mesmerized. 

They continue sparring for nearly 30 minutes, until finally Kurenai calls a halt, having landed more hits on Naruto then Naruto on her.

"That was fun…" He mutters, breathing heavily.

Our teacher is slightly winded from the exercise.

"Well, it's starting to get late, and I doubt that Lord Hokage has any D rank missions left to assign for today, so you're all dismissed until 9 am tomorrow." She tells us. "I suggest the three of you get something to eat, and then take a long hot shower." She tells us. "You'll find the shower will help to relax your body, and deal with the aching muscles." 

We all nod, leaving the training ground. We go our separate ways from our teacher, the three of us heading into the village while she heads for her home, or wherever it is she goes. The three of us enter the village, both Shino and Naruto walking next to me, rather then allowing me to slip behind them…

The people of the village continue to scowl at me, though their expressions now are noticed both by Shino and Naruto. When I look at them, I see an uncomfortable expression on both of their faces. 

"Hey about we go to Ichiraku's, they've got a great dinner special…" Naruto suggests as we walk. 

Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I have another suggestion, as Ichiraku's Ramen is not the most nutritious food that can be ingested." 

"Uh, okay…" Naruto says, and I nod my agreement to Shino's statement. 

The Aburame boy leads the two of us through the village. The entire time I feel the stares of the people of this village. I see Naruto scowl back at some of them, and many turn away at this. However, the Aburame boy seems more and more unsettled as we walk toward his destination. I can't help but think I hear a low buzzing noise from within his body…

_Are his bugs reacting to his mental state?_

I feel a shiver go up my spine at the creepy thought. Normally, Shino's bugs are invaluable to have on a mission. Yet I choose not to think about how they got inside of him. I shake my head to clear it of the disturbing thoughts. I do not want to think about how the boy came to become a living hive, even if it makes him a stronger shinobi for it…

_I wonder, does what's bound inside me make me a stronger shinobi? My grandmother constantly called having this demon inside of me a 'gift' from my father. She never had to walk the streets of the village with people glaring at her like they're a monster, so what can she know about it? Then again, Shino gets disturbed looks when he walks down the street, since people recognize the way the Aburame carry themselves in public. Naruto gets looks as well, but his aren't looks of anger or hatred, but more of respect, because he's the son of the Fourth Hokage…_

The Aburame boy leads us to a small restaurant. Judging from the appearance, the place does a descent business. He leads us inside, and the server seats us at a table. The table itself has a grill in it, and you use it to cook your food yourself. Shino chooses to sit on the opposite side of the table as me, but Naruto sits next to me. I feel my heartbeat jump at the boy who earlier today hugged me sits down next to me, with barely inches between us. 

_Calm down, he's probably just disturbed by what Shino always does with his bugs and his food, so he's sitting next to you to alleviate that…_

On the other side of the restaurant I see squad 10. The Akimichi boy stuffs his face, taking the meat on the grill to the chagrin of his teammates.

"Choji, don't eat so much, it isn't good for you!" Ino protests his actions. 

"Hey, that was mine Choji!" Shikamaru yells at him.

I look to see their teacher, Asuma, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. I see a heavy sigh escape his lips…

_They don't even behave when they're out with their teacher…_

The waitress comes by, offering menus. We make our orders. The three of us don't talk about anything, but I can see Naruto fidgeting. 

"Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" I ask, seeing the boy nervously fidget. 

He looks down, an air of depression forming around him. I don't want the boy to feel depressed, so see him sulking there...

"The people in this place, they're staring at us…" He mutters, trying to avoid the gazes of the other patrons.

Squad 10 appears to be the only occupants that don't know we're here, so absorbed in their own infighting…

"I believe ignoring them would be prudent." Shino says, his menu open before him. "The three of us are paying customers of this establishment, and therefore they have no right or ability to have us removed from this establishment." 

I look around. I see the people that were staring look away. They don't want me to get a good look at their faces…

"I'm sorry…" I apologize, looking down at the table. "I'm sure they're only staring because of me…" I mutter, my voice hinting at the misery I feel.

_Naruto, Shino, I'm sorry. I don't mean for these people to do this, but they just keep staring, no matter how much I try to ignore them. Now, the two of you have been drawn into this whole thing, and you don't even know why they're looking at you…_

I can almost hear Kurenai-sensei's voice in my ears, what she would suggest for me to do.

_She'd tell me to tell them, but I don't know…_

The woman server comes with our orders. We eat, most people turning back to their food while the three of us eat. For the most part, the dinner goes without a hitch. Though nearly an hour into it, I see Squad 10 get up. Ino Yamanaka walks over to our table.

"So, you guys come here too." She says. "Asuma made a deal with Choji to get him to train, so that's why we're here." She explains.

"I see…" Shino is the first to reply.

The Yamanaka girl looks around at the three of us, the somber mood between Naruto and me. 

"What happened to you three? Did your dogs die or something?" Ino asks, glaring at both Naruto and me. 

"God Ino, you can't see the people of this place are all looking at them?" Shikamaru asks, walking up next to her. "They probably don't like the stares, and they can't hide it." 

"What…?" Ino asks, turning around, the people of the restaurant looking away a moment before. 

She turns back to us, and I see a puzzled expression on her face.

"I wonder what would make these IDIOTS stare at you guys, I mean Naruto's the son of the Fourth, but that's no reason to stare." She points out.

I look up to see Asuma approach his charges. He stands behind his students. I see him bite his tongue in his mouth. 

"Look you three, it's late, and you need to get home to your parents." He says, nearly pushing the three of them out of the restaurant. "You three take care of yourselves, and watch out for Kurenai!" He says as while disappears out the front door. His three students go in front of him. 

With Squad 10 gone the stares resume. Before long, the three of us finish our meal, and we pay out tab. The three of us leave the restaurant. Each of us says our goodbyes in front of it. We then separate to go our separate ways. 

I start walking back to my home in the Hyuga mansion, and I don't notice the ANBU ninja watching me from the rooftops…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning I wake up as usual. I prepare a meal for the four of us and leave the Hyuga mansion. I make my way to training ground 8. When I arrive, I see Naruto standing there and fidgeting uncomfortably. His movements appear slower then normal…

"Um, good morning Naruto-kun, did you sleep well last night, you appear sluggish?" I ask, and I see the boy start.

"Oh, it's probably these things…" He says. 

He rolls up his left sleeve. I see weights strapped to his forearms, barely visible under the sleeve of his orange jacket. 

"You're wearing weights?" I ask, and he nods.

"Last night, I talked to my dad about my sparring sessions with Kurenai-sensei and with you. We talked about how I was almost totally outclassed. He suggested wearing these things." He says, showing the weights to me. "They're chakra enhanced, allowing me to increase or decrease the weight by the amount of chakra in them." He explains.

"But, during a combat situation, wouldn't they slow you down?" 

He shakes his head.

"They're made with a quick release, so you can release them and then throw them off." He tells me. "Dad says they're great for improving taijutsu, and I should start to see the results in a month, if not less." 

I look down as I think about what I've done to train myself since I was assigned to this team.

_I really haven't done anything to improve since I got on this team. I think I was the strongest of us all, but if I don't do something to improve, then Naruto will outclass me soon, and then, I might not be of any use…_

"Do you think, maybe that your father could give me some of those…?" I ask.

He looks taken aback.

"You want to wear training weights?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yes, I need to improve like you do. It will be good for me to get faster." I explain, and he nods. 

"Okay, I'll get some tonight and give them to you tomorrow morning, but you got to be careful with these things, put too much weight and you'll tear your muscles apart." 

I nod, bowing to the boy.

"Thank you very much, Naruto-kun." 

"Just be careful when you get them, okay, Hinata-chan?" He asks, and I nod.

The rest of the day goes as routine as can be expected. The four of us complete 2 D rank missions. Then we have a quick workout, sparring against each other. I notice Naruto is moving slower during our session together. I ease up on him slightly, only to see him almost land a full force punch to my left cheek. 

After that, I don't take it easy on him. Although I still refrain from sending my chakra into his body. We workout together for the rest of the evening, and Kurenai sends us home around dinner time. 

I head home, eating dinner with my grandmother for once, and then taking a long hot bath. The bath relaxes my body and my mind, letting me prepare for the next day. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next day, Naruto has the weights he promised me waiting for me at our team's meeting spot. I quickly put them on, keeping a minimal amount of chakra in the weights as per his instructions. I manage to get them before Kurenai-sensei arrives, and the four of us begin our day as normal. At first, the weights slow me down, but I work to compensate, forcing my body to adjust to additional load. Fortunately, maybe due to the demon's presence or my own physical ability, I adjust over the following week, and I increase the weight every few days after that. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Three weeks later, the four of us stand in the Hokage's office, Naruto's father sitting behind his desk.

"In light of the progress both you and your team have made Kurenai, I'm going to give the four of a C rank mission." He says.

_A C rank, that's different from the norm. Usually we just perform the boring tasks that need doing for the Hokage and then go home; usually only really experienced Genin teams get C rank missions, not one that's only been together for just over a month. _

"This mission is to a border town near the border with the land of water." He explains, handing two scrolls to Kurenai. "Because of the location, we keep a Shinobi presence as peacekeepers, your mission will be to quell any violence and keep the peace within the town for approximately 2 weeks." He explains. "The black scroll details the mission; while the one with my seal is for the team you're relieving." He explains.

Kurenai sensei looks at him with a careful, measured expression. 

"Is it really such a good idea to send a team of rookies on a peace keeping assignment, Lord Hokage?" Kurenai asks. "I know my team has been making progress…" 

The Fourth cuts her off.

"This mission is hardly as bad as you might think, Kurenai." He tells her. "This town is peaceful; there hasn't been any violence there in 10 years." He continues. "The squad there is a group of Genin as well, and their reports by messenger bird have been mostly that the town is boring, and the mission preventing them from training." He explains. "So, you should look at this as a chance for your Genin to see this country, and to get to know the people in it." He continues. "You'll leave in approximately 2 hours; you should pack 2 weeks worth of provisions for the three day journey as well." 

We all nod our agreement, Kurenai leading us out of the room and out of the tower. 

"You heard him, you three go pack and meet back here in 1 hour and 45 minutes." She tells us all. "Once we're all here, we'll start off toward the border town." 

We all nod our agreement, the four of us splitting up. 

I move quickly back to the Hyuga mansion, the weights slightly affecting my speed.

_I get to leave the village, maybe once I'm outside, people won't recognize me as the Kyuubi anymore…_

The thought spurs me onward, while another nagging thought enters the back of my mind…

_If the people outside the village don't hate you so much, maybe you should consider leaving then…_

The thought sends a chill down my spine, both at the thought of abandoning my own grandmother, and how tempting the idea is…

I shake my head to clear it, arriving back at the Hyuga home…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I pack quickly, but I go over the list of things I need in my head several times. I make sure to pack spare throwing weapons as well as rations and supplies. I fill my canteen before I leave, hanging it on the bag. I leave the mansion after saying good bye to my grandmother. I explain to her what my mission pertains, and she nods her acquiescence to the task. I leave with the large hiking backpack strapped to my shoulders. The additional weight, plus the weight on the training weights does slow me down, but I adjust, preferring the challenge over lightening the training weights. I make my way back to the tower, seeing Kurenai and Shino wearing their packs and waiting there, Naruto mysteriously not present yet…

"Where's Naruto-kun?" I ask.

"He went inside to say good bye to his father." Kurenai explains, cocking her head toward the tower. "When he comes out, we'll be off, now that you've arrived." 

"I'm not late, am I?" I ask, feeling my cheeks begin to flush from embarrassment. 

Kurenai shakes her head no.

"You're perfectly on time Hinata; I just don't see any point in waiting if we're all ready to go."

As if on cue, Naruto emerges from the tower, a big grin on his face.

"Well, let's go!" He yells out. "Our mission waits!"


	3. Chapter 3

(Well, time for Chapter 3. I read the reviews that seem to come in non stop about this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It might be what some of you are expecting, but it's important nonetheless. One of you reviewed that you wanted to know about Kushina, and I originally intended to have her die in childbirth, with Minato sort of blaming Naruto for her being dead. However, I thought about it and rewrote the idea, instead creating a new one and gaining a new character to work with later on. There is distance between Naruto and his family, but there's a reason for it, and you'll see later on. Some of you asked about the Chunin exams, and will it be a Naruto/Hinata pairing in this story... Well, all I'm going to say is that down the road, Neji and Hinata will face off, when and where, I'm not going to say. As for the Naru/Hina comment, if you keep reading the story, you'll see… Oh yeah, I re-uploaded chapter 2, I only made some minor grammatical corrections to make it easier to understand. Anyway, enjoy…)

Chapter 3: Peacekeepers…

The four of us leave the village, and though we've all done it at some point or another in our 12 year old lives, today seems different, for me at least…

_This time I have a purpose that is directly related to my reason for leaving the village. I'm a shinobi of the leaf on a mission to relieve another squad of Genin in a border town that's supposedly not in need of guarding. What is important is that it's a mission I'm being asked to participate in, along with my two teammates, and my squad leader._

The three of us walk the main road toward the village, none of us moving rather quickly. The weights slow me, but I force myself to keep up. 

"Naruto, Shino, both of you scout ahead for 10 minutes, report if you see anything strange." Kurenai tells them.

Naruto looks to Shino, and the blonde boy opens his mouth a moment, and then closes it. The Aburame boy follows the blonde genin as they go ahead, leaving Kurenai and I alone together.

"All right Hinata…" She begins, slowing down and walking next to me. "What happened between you three, you've all been awkward for nearly a month now…" 

I sigh heavily.

"The day you taught us the mud wall technique, we went to dinner together at a Barbeque restaurant." I tell her. "It was my first time in an establishment like that, and the entire time, the other patrons stared at me like they do when I walk by them in the village." I tell her. "Only this time, it made Naruto really nervous, and Shino seemed… aggravated by it as well…" 

_I was going to say 'angry' at it, but I don't think the boy is even capable of showing anger in front of people…_

"These people, were they staring at you, or at Naruto and Shino?" 

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know, but I think Naruto noticed it, and he took it to be that they were looking at him, and not me." I tell her. 

The woman sighs heavily. 

"I believe that Naruto has been living in the shadow of his father since the day he was born, Hinata." Kurenai tells me. "Have you ever noticed that whenever I talk about him, Naruto appears solemn?" She asks, and I nod. "I think that deep down, when people look at Naruto, they don't see him, they see his father, and something similar can be said for Shino." She tells me. "When the average person in the village sees him, they see the bugs inside of him, not for the person he is." She tells me.

I nod.

"Like they see me for the demon and not for me as a human being…" 

Kurenai nods once, a solemn expression.

"I believe that three people who share a similar experience can bond together, and that is one of the reasons the Fourth created this team." She explains. "Both Shino and Naruto carry burdens, just like you do, but theirs aren't as easy to decipher as yours are, and they can talk about their burdens, though they choose not too." She tells me.

I nod, feeling somewhat better about the situation.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." I say, giving the woman sincere thanks.

She nods.

"It's nothing Hinata, but I do think you should use this chance to tell both Naruto and Shino about the Kyuubi." She tells me. "We're away from the village, and we'll be alone, so no one in the village will find out by accident." 

I nod. 

"I really want to tell them, but, I don't want…" 

I can feel her eyes resting on me.

"You really care about one of them, don't you?" She asks. "More then just as a friend…?" 

Her question cuts through the haze of my mind. Over the last three weeks, I've found myself becoming more and more anxious around Naruto, and I haven't been able to figure out why. When I see him smile, I feel like smiling, and when I saw him depressed in the restaurant, I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest.

I nod slowly.

"It's Naruto, isn't it?" She asks, and I nod. 

"I don't know what it is about him, but when I'm with him, and I see him smiling happily…" 

"You're in love…" Kurenai tells me matter of factly, looking ahead.

I feel my cheeks flush, and I look up at my teacher.

"But, I can't be love; I just like being with him…" 

"If you had a choice, who would you tell about your secret first, Naruto or Shino?" She asks. 

I blink twice, and then lower my gaze.

"I'd want to tell Naruto…" I respond. 

"And why is that?" She asks. "Shino is the more logical one of the two of them. He's more likely to accept the information without getting emotional about it." She tells me.

"I don't like it when Naruto-kun and I are together. He doesn't know why people stare at both us…" I tell her. "It hurts inside…" 

I barely see my teacher smile.

"Like I said, you're in love with him, and you want him to be happy." She tells me. "When people stare at you two when you're together, you want him to know why." She explains. "You think that if he knows why, he'll understand, and he won't feel like they're looking at him as much as they are you." 

I nod.

"You're a good person Hinata, and I'm sure Naruto will understand once you tell him." She tells me. 

I nod, though I don't feel as assuaged as my teacher's voice tries to make me.

Naruto and Shino both return 10 minutes after they're sent out, both of them filing into formation behind Kurenai.

"Did you two find anything?" She asks, and both of them shake their heads.

"I didn't see anything…" Naruto says.

"I detected nothing unusual." Shino responds. 

We keep walking for nearly 4 more hours before Kurenai calls us to stop.

"All right, take a 15 minute break." She says.

We all sit down, and I feel a weight off my shoulders (literally) as I sit down on the ground and remove the pack. Kurenai opens the scroll and checks the mission parameters written on it, while Naruto, Shino, and I all take drinks from our canteens. I look around at my two teammates; both of them still have a solemn air about them…

_I guess things haven't really changed much. So I ask Kurenai-sensei to talk to them about the whole situation, and hope that she won't give anything away?_

_No, I can't ask Kurenai to do everything for me! I want them to be my friends, how can I not talk to my friends?_

"Um…" I speak up, and both heads snap toward me. "I don't know if I'm correct in saying this, but we've all been rather awkward since the night at the barbecue restaurant." I bring the subject up, forcing myself to speak. "I just want you both to know that I've always been stared at, and I've gotten used to it, so you shouldn't feel anger or annoyance toward people that look at me…" 

I see Shino push his sunglasses up with his free hand. 

"You should not HAVE to get accustomed to the menacing stares of others, Hinata-chan." He tells me. "No one should be forced to be the target of the animosity of others." He continues. "I believe Naruto-kun feels the same as I do, am I correct?" He asks the blonde boy.

Naruto nods, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Hinata-chan, in the restaurant, those people weren't looking at either me or Shino." He tells me. "I saw their eyes looking at you, and I wanted to get up and punch them all right in their noses for it…" He says, his voice cracking with anger. 

_Naruto…_

"While I may not wish to inflict physical harm on others for their facial expressions, I am somewhat curious as to why someone of the prestigious Hyuga family would be so scorned by the village?" Shino asks. "Your father was a hero, the man who sacrificed himself to kill the Kyuubi No Kitsune." He says. "I have seen the children of others who died that night, and none of them receive the same treatment you do…" 

"I don't know why they look at me like they do…" I respond, near the verge of tears, the words 'I'm the one the Kyuubi was sealed into' trapped in my throat. 

Both boys look solemn again, and I hear Kurenai clear her throat. 

The three of us look up to see her standing there, her arms crossed, the scroll tucked away neatly in her pack.

"Growing up, Hinata didn't have many people she could call friends." Kurenai tells them. "Because of whom she is; people distance themselves from her out of both fear and respect. With her grandmother the leader of the clan, she didn't have time to try and build bonds between others like you two did." She continues. "I believe she would like the two of you as her friends, but she's unable to say it herself, because she's afraid that you'll think badly of her."

I can almost feel my heart stop when both Naruto and Shino look at me with a puzzled expression on their faces.

"I don't know about Shino, but I consider you my friend Hinata-chan, I have ever since the thing with that nobleman's house." Naruto tells me.

"I concur…" Shino adds.

I feel the tears fall from my eyes.

"Naruto-kun, Shino-kun…" I mutter, feeling the tears begin to fall from my eyes. 

The tears however, are not tears of anger or sadness, but of happiness…

"Hinata, are you all right?" Naruto asks, forgetting the honorific.

I nod.

"Thank you, thank you both…" I manage to say, bowing my head. 

20 minutes later, we start moving again. Fortunately, they both let me dry my tears and regain my composure. We start walking again, and now I feel a better atmosphere between the three of us. Gone is the uncomfortable, awkward feeling that was present before. Now, I feel relaxed around them, in the company of friends…

_So called friends that don't know you've got the Kyuubi No Kitsune sealed inside you…_

My mind berates me, and I shake my head to clear it. Instead, I focus on the weights on my legs and arms, seeing as the amount has begun to hardly bother me anymore, I increase the weight using my chakra. Immediately, I feel the effect as my legs and arms feel as though they weigh 20 pounds more then they should. Naruto notices, though I push myself just to keep up, that in and of itself a form of training.

_If I can learn to walk at a normal speed like this, much less run and jump, I'll be much faster when I take the weights off. _

The four of us continue walking for another 4 hours before Kurenai calls another halt.

"Hinata, can you find a small area we might use for a camp site?" She asks, and I nod.

I make the signs, activating my bloodline limit, the Byakugan. Through it, I see a small area 50 meters to our left off the open road, unspoiled and covered by trees, but perfect to build a camp site on…

"I've found something, follow me." I tell them.

Using my eyes, I lead them to the site. Once there, our training takes over, setting up collapsible tents, building a fire, preparing nourishment. Within an hour our camp site is finished, with ration bars set out for each of us to eat…

Naruto looks at the ration bar, and I see him scowl.

"Sensei, can't we eat something good, like maybe go catch some fish or something?" He asks.

Kurenai shakes her head.

"Remember Naruto, we're on a mission, and I can't risk one of you getting hurt out here with no medical aid nearby." She tells him. "I know these bars don't taste good, but once we arrive at our destination, I'm sure you'll be able to eat something good to eat." She tells us all.

I nod my agreement, and I chew down the ration bar, coming to a quick decision that it is the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. 

_Well, I've lived in the Hyuga mansion for the entirety of my life until this point. In the mansion, grandmother would never let something this bad tasting be served as a meal._

We eat in silence, though I feel more relaxed out here, in the middle of the forest then I ever have in Konoha. We each finish eating the ration bars, and then I see Kurenai-sensei look at me.

"Hinata, can you scan the area?" She asks.

_She doesn't add, 'with your Byakugan…'_

I make the signs quickly, activating my bloodline limit. A moment later, I look through the kekkei genkai. Looking around, I scan the area, and I don't see anyone within my range…

"There isn't anyone within my range, other then the four of us, Kurenai-sensei." I tell our teacher.

She nods her acknowledgement, and I wonder if she's really that paranoid about everything…

_I guess when you don't have the kind of abilities that I have, it gets hard to think that you're safe, no matter where you are…_

"We'll rotate a watch, just in case." She says. "I'll take the first watch, Naruto; you're on the second shift, then Shino, and finally you Hinata." She says. 

I nod my agreement, and I stand up. I walk toward the tent before I crawl inside. 

"Since I'm on last watch, I'm going to sleep now." I tell them. 

I crawl into the tent, crawling inside my sleeping bag. I lie down inside the sleeping bag, putting my head on the pillow section of the bag. I feel my eyes get heavy, and a moment later, I'm unconscious. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When I wake up, I feel a crawling sensation on the back of my neck, the hairs on my neck standing on end. I almost reach back and smash the bug, only to see the Kikai bug crawl off of my neck and down my sleeping bag. I see what has to be Shino standing outside the tent, the bug user finding a way to rouse me without waking our teacher…

_Smart guy…_

I get up, taking special care not to wake my teacher. I leave the tent, closing the zipper, Shino standing outside the tent. 

"It is your turn to assume watch…" He tells me. "My allies have created a perimeter which they shall monitor for the remainder of our time at this location." He tells me. "Should an intruder be found, they will rouse me." He continues. "However, that is no excuse to be inattentive to your duties." 

I nod, motioning for the boy to go into his tent, and continue to sleep for the few hours he has left. I see a small log that has been stood up straight, with both ends flattened appears to be a make shift stool. I sit down on it, breathing a heavy sigh with my hands interlacing.

My Byakugan activates, the veins around my eyes bulging. I use the blood limit, locating Shino's sentries during my scans, as well as looking for something the kikai might miss. The entire time I watch over the encampment, I use my Byakugan to keep a steady watch. The three hours I'm assigned to guard our camp passes slowly, though my mind doesn't stop creating thoughts to distract me with…

_Both Shino and Naruto are your friends now, so why can't I tell them about the Kyuubi? If they're my real friends, then they won't care about the demon's presence inside of me, they'll see me for me, like the Fourth Hokage believes they will. _

_Then again, as powerful as the Fourth Hokage may be, he is only human, and hardly omnipotent. I believe that Naruto won't have much of a problem accepting the demon's presence, but Shino hardly ever emotes anything, unless you count the thing he does with his sunglasses. Even then, he only seems to do that when he's annoyed or concerned about something. He seems genuinely concerned about the stares, but I don't know HOW he'll react. He may want to be reassigned to another team after I tell him, and once he knows, he'll spread the knowledge to the other genin, and then they'll all look at me like the adults do…_

_WAIT A MINUTE; THINK ABOUT __**WHOM**__ YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! Shino is hardly one to speak to anyone he doesn't know, much less discuss personal secrets like that. When he had dinner at the mansion, he was very quiet and courteous. He also seemed to respond to my grandmother's request quite well, and didn't raise an eyebrow when she told them both about the more…ruthlessness of my family. Maybe his family is the same way, just as cut throat as mine is…_

_No, he's too reserved to be from a family of people that covet power over anything else. Plus, the Hyuga hierarchy is well known, even among those who aren't involved with members of either house. However, the Aburame family doesn't draw that kind of attention that my family seems to revel in, but then again, I don't think people would give it to them even if they asked for it. Most of the villagers are disturbed by the techniques that clan uses, so the less they know, the better they feel…_

Before I know it, the sun rises, and I hear the zipper to the tent Kurenai and I shared open. The woman gets out of the tent with a yawn, standing up straight, stretching her arms as she finishes her yawn. 

"Good morning Hinata, I take it all is well?" She asks, and I nod, the veins around my eyes receding. 

"I haven't detected anyone attempting to infiltrate our camp during my time keeping watch." I explain.

I watch as my Jounin teacher begins to stretch, going through several stretching routines to wake up her muscles and prepare her body for the day ahead. 

"Naruto told me that he gave you some training weights a short while ago, are you sure you need them?" Kurenai asks, making me blink twice in surprise.

"Sensei, my grandmother has said multiple times that it is my destiny to become the leader of my clan, as I am the last member of the main house other then her." I tell my teacher. "If I am currently unfit to lead my clan, then I need to improve, and these training weights will allow me to accomplish that." 

"Hinata, you already have above average skills for a Genin." She tells me. "Once you take the Chunin exams, I'm sure that you'll be promoted up a rank." 

"Thank you sensei, but I'm hardly worth being selected for Chunin." I tell her. "Besides, if I were to be promoted, it would appear that the Fourth Hokage is giving me special treatment, and I do not want it." 

The Jounin looks at me, and I see her give me a flat expression, as though she's tried of hearing what she's just heard.

"Listen Hinata, because I don't say things like this often." She tells me. "With your abilities, both the Byakugan, your Gentle Fist, and the skill you possess with mastering new ninjutsu, you DESERVE to be promoted to Chunin." She tells me. "I can't really speak for your decision making skills under a combat situation, but you've learned to accept the scowls of other people and simply not let it affect you." She tells me. "I'm sure, with your continued efforts toward improving that you'll be ready to take the role of leader of your clan before your grandmother passes away." She tells me.

I look down at the thought of my grandmother dying, and I think somberly on the fact that Kurenai knows so much…

_She must've done her research on us the moment she found out we were assigned to her. It only makes sense that she'd learn as much about each of us as she can. Though, that makes me want to ask her about Shino and Naruto, but she'd tell me to ask them about themselves, rather then try to get the knowledge from a third party…_

As if on cue, the boy's tent opens, Naruto emerging a moment after the zipper comes down. He's fully dressed, wearing his backpack and everything as a trail of bugs marches into the tent, presumably to reunite with their master after a long night of separation.

I feel a shiver run down my back at the thought, so I go to work taking down our tent, rolling up the individual sleeping bags inside. I put a bag in my pack, and one in Kurenai's pack. Then, I put both bags outside the tent and collapse it from the outside. Putting the now much smaller tent into my bag, I hoist it up onto my shoulders, ready and awake for the day ahead. 

"Hinata, come here a moment…" Kurenai says, coiling her pointer finger toward her.

I do as she asks, a moment after I'm within arm's reach, her fingers run through my hair.

"You've got a bad case of bed head; I'll do what I can with what I have." She tells me. 

I nod my thanks, the woman finishing her task when Shino emerges from his tent, carrying his pack…

_Body filled to the brim again with bugs…_

I shake my head again when Kurenai clears her throat a moment later.

"We need to get moving, let's break camp and get going." She says. 

10 minutes later, we're back on the road, Kurenai walking 2 steps ahead of us, the three of us following behind in a line. For once, I don't feel any persecuting stares as I follow my teacher down the road, and I feel a sigh of relief escape my lips.

Both of my teammates look at me at this, and I quickly play it down, making hand gestures to tell them I'm fine, with nothing to worry about. I see my teacher smile at this, enjoying our now relaxed atmosphere. 

We walk for nearly 5 hours before Kurenai calls a halt.

"Take a breather; I want to check the information scroll Lord Hokage gave us." She tells me. 

The three of us sit down, and I feel my respect for my teacher go up a notch. The woman seems to have inhuman amounts of physical stamina, walking with a heavy hiking backpack at a ninja's pace for five hours, and she doesn't even look winded. 

_I guess that's one of the reasons they made her a Jounin. She's a genjutsu specialist as well, so she could be using an illusion to hide her physical exhaustion, but that would be more exhausting then actually just letting it show…_

While I have no talent for casting genjutsu, even without the Byakugan I can see through most of them, and I see no signs of illusion on my teacher. 

She rereads the scroll intently, as if looking for something she thought she saw but she doesn't know if it was there or not. A moment later, I see her eyes focus on something. Shortly after, she rolls the scroll up and returns it to her backpack.

"We have to walk for another 5 hours, and then we'll stop for the night." She tells the three of us. "Think you three can go that long without taking a break?"

Even though the added weight of the training weights slows me down, I still nod along with Shino and Naruto. The three of us stand up, following our teacher down the road toward our ultimate destination. 

After five hours of movement, I see why Kurenai-sensei wants to stop for the night…

That reason is called the Yamada Inn, a bed and breakfast sort of place that caters to weary travelers along the trade road. Going inside, Kurenai does all the talking, getting two rooms, one for her and me with another for Naruto and Shino. The woman behind the counter, an older woman with dark hair wearing a formal pink and white kimono doesn't hesitate to mention the hot spring behind their building.

"You're our only guests right now, so the whole spring is all yours." She tells us. 

I trudge up the steps toward the rooms, Naruto and Shino going to their room, Kurenai leading me toward our room. She opens the door, and I follow her inside. She closes the door behind her as my eyes take in the room we have been given. The room is simple, two small beds with a nightstand between them, a desk, and an attached bathroom, nothing more.

"Well, at least we've got facilities…" She says dryly, setting her pack down next to a bed.

"Um, sensei, why did you choose for us to stay here at this place...?" I ask. "Wouldn't it have been better if we just camped out for the night?" 

She shakes her head no.

"I wanted to stay here because the scroll given to me by the Fourth Hokage says that this place has a nice hot spring, and we can use to rejuvenate our bodies." She tells me. "Besides, all three of us could use a good bath and a scrub." 

I nod, though I feel embarrassed about asking the question. 

"So, are you going to use the hot spring?" Kurenai asks, sitting on the edge of one of the beds.

I nod.

"I had planned on it, though if you want, I'll wait…" 

She cuts me off.

"Go ahead, I'll take a shower before I get in, that way you'll get some time to yourself." She tells me. "Though, I suggest you leave the training weights here, you don't want to damage the clothing basket you'll be given." 

I nod again, setting my backpack down next to the unclaimed bed. I roll my jacket sleeves up, withdrawing the chakra from the weights, and I feel a major difference before I remove the restraints. Afterward, I feel like my arms are barely there. When I remove the leg restraints, I feel as though I could float. I force myself to be careful as I go downstairs and to the spring, shucking off my uniform and wrapping a towel around my body. 

The spring itself steams as I get in, setting the towel on the edge of the water near my body, I sink up to my shoulders into the hot water. I feel the water relax my muscles, and I let out a long sigh.

"This is nice…" I mutter to no one other then myself. 

While there is hot springs in Konoha, I choose not to use them since perverted men often try and peek at the girl's side of the bath. Also, they can become rather crowded when I have time off, so it's less of a hassle if I just don't use them. Besides all of that, with the way the villagers treat me, one of them might try and drown me while I'm using the spring, and that would fly like a lead balloon…

Sitting in the spring, I enjoy the brief moment of complete relaxation, forgetting about my worries as a member of the Hyuga main branch, as a Shinobi of the leaf, as the Jinchuriki…

Staying at the Inn that night, we eat a nice, delicious dinner made by the owner. The entire night, the owner never once glares at me like I'm a monster. The entire time, she treats me with perfect kindness…

_This perfect stranger treats me better then most people do, how insane is that?_

That night, I get fitful sleep at best, my thoughts continually focusing on how the woman smiles at me during dinner, treating me like a person, like how Naruto and Shino do…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kurenai-sensei wakes me up early the next morning, and I get dressed, training weights and all. I reapply the chakra into the weights on my arms in legs, increasing the weight by 5 pounds on each limb. The 20 extra pounds adds up when I put the backpack on, following my teacher out into the hallway. I see both Naruto and Shino standing there, Naruto having reversed his jacket and pants to the green color, rather then the bright orange he normally wears.

"Good thinking Naruto." Kurenai comments on the change. "I was going to ask you to reverse your clothes this morning, and you've saved me the trouble." 

The blonde boy scratches his head in embarrassment.

"Well, Shino suggested I do it, since we'll be traveling in a forest, it'll make us harder to spot if I don't stand out like a sore thumb." He admits. 

Kurenai smiles at her other male student, and I see him push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose again.

_More and more he uses that as his seemingly only expression of emotion. I wonder, is he like me and he's new to accepting compliments?  
_"We should resume our journey." Shino says. "It would be a violation of our orders and mission parameters if we are late arriving at our destination." He suggests. 

Kurenai nods, starting down the hallway. The Jounin leads us down the hall and out of the bed and breakfast, the owner smiling and asking us all to come back soon. Our teacher turns left at the entrance to the inn, heading toward the border town where another Genin squad awaits our relief. 

We walk in comfortable silence, leaving me alone to my thoughts once more. More and more, I find myself troubled by the direction my thoughts inevitably seem to turn whenever I think about my new friends…

_Friends, didn't Kurenai say that there shouldn't be any secrets between TEAMMATES, and you consider these people your friend? If you really believed them to be your friend, you'd tell them about the Kyuubi, rather then hide it like you REALLY ARE the Kitsune. As much as you don't want to admit it, you're too scared that they'll both leave you if you tell them, in spite of what your teacher has told you countless times…_

I close my eyes a moment, banishing the little voice from my mind.

_I wonder; are you trying to ruin my life you damn fox, whispering in my ears, telling me to doubt myself? _

No little voice answers me as the four of us continue down the road. We walk for hours, every now and then Naruto will try to start a conversation, and though all of us can tell the boy feels somewhat uneasy about the silence between us. Finally, after what feels like hours, Kurenai calls a halt, straining her ears, I see her head flinch up.

"There's a river nearby, we'll use it to refill our canteens." She explains, the three of us nodding our understanding. 

She takes a sharp right turn, the three of us following her presumably toward the river. The farther we walk, the clearer the sound of running water becomes to my ears. Before long, the four of us stand over a blue river running through the forest, trees on both sides of the water.

"You three should know what to do…" Kurenai says, the three of us going to work.

At the academy, they teach you about survival during extended missions. They teach you about how to properly dress and clean animals, effective traps for catching food, as well as how to properly clean and sanitize both your canteen and river water for drinking. The four of us clean out our canteens, refilling them from the river, dropping a small sanitation tablet into the canteen, the chemicals cleaning the water of harmful bacteria and germs. 

Within 10 minutes, the four of us resume our journey. We return to the road and continue onward. I feel my body begin to adjust to the weights with the extended walking, so I increase the weight by a pound, adding a sliver of chakra to the special weights. I don't know how Naruto is doing with his training, but I don't want to adjust to the weight and then plateau, I need to push my body as far as it can go. 

2 hours later, Kurenai calls a halt, the three of us stopping in our tracks.

"Hinata…" She begins, and I nod behind her.

My fingers interlace, a moment later, my Byakugan activates. Looking around, I see 4 armed men hiding in the bushes around us, though judging from the amount of chakra in their bodies, they aren't shinobi…

"There are 4 of them sensei, 3, 5, 7, and 9 o'clock." I tell our teacher.

Through the Byakugan, I see the four men start in surprise, only to leap out, jumping into the air to pounce on the four of us.

Without a word, the four of us engage the bandits. At first, the armed men dressed in long mantles and wearing masks believe to have the advantage, but soon the tide of the combat turns. 

Due to the extra weight of the pack, I reduce the chakra within the training weights, lightening my load, and allowing me to move in close to the swordsman who was stupid enough to challenge me. With no knowledge of what I'm capable of, the man merely allows me to get in close, my hands dancing on his chest in a quick succession of blows that strike his chakra network, the last hit a palm thrust to his gut with enough physical force to knock him backward…

The bandit coughs, blood shooting from his mouth onto the ground, glaring at me from above the mask…

"What did you do…?" He mutters as his knees give, falling forward.

Through my Byakugan, I see his heart still beating, but severely damaged. I turn and look to see his other comrades in similar situations. The one Shino faces rolls on the ground, scratching at his back while the kikai bugs leach his chakra from him, draining him of strength. A moment after I look, the man's rolling slows, and then comes to a stop as his arms stop moving, his eyes closing after he passes out. The man Naruto faced off with has 5 shadow clones on top of him, beating him like a gang mauling their victim. Kurenai's opponent lies on the ground, a nasty looking stab wound to his neck…

"Well, this was boring…" Naruto says, standing over his opponent while his shadow clones beat on him. 

Shino nods his agreement, a stream of bugs crawling back to him and up his right leg. I deactivate my bloodline limit while the four of us look at each other.

"We should tie these men up, they're more then likely highwaymen, robbing travelers of their possessions and selling them for the highest price.

_Criminals…_

Leaving her victim on the road, Kurenai uses some rope from her pack to bind the three criminals with their backs to each other. It doesn't take long for one of them to begin to stir; the one Shino's bugs had a feast on…

"What the…?" He mutters, our teacher kneeling down in front of him.

"You're thieves, correct?" Our teacher asks, probing for information. 

The man glares at her, and then spits in her face in contempt.

"I'll tell you nothing you she-bitch…" He says in defiance. "I'll kill you for taking Masaki's life…" 

I see my teacher smile a sadistic smile.

"I have ways of making you talk you know…" She begins. "I am a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf village, and I'm fully trained in a multitude of torture methods designed to break the human spirit…" She says with a grin. 

In the short time I've been under her charge, I've never once seen my teacher smile as sadistically as she smiles when she explains a very painful sounding method of torturing a male prisoner by using a chakra thread and feeding down their urethra, enlarging the thread inside their member and causing severe pain and internal damage…

The man looks horrified when Kurenai goes into detail about another torture method involving a man's private area, involving a small pin and several small pricks of it…

Then, seeing the man's face twist and contort, I realize what she's really doing…

_She's getting inside his mind without even touching him, it's brilliant. She's using the methods of torture, and the detailed descriptions along with his own imagination to break him; he'll be talking soon…_

"All right, what do you want to know?" The man finally gasps, giving in to our teacher's will.

I see a faint smile appear on her lips. 

"You intended to just rob us, did you not?" She asks, and the man nods. 

"Yes, we couldn't mug any of the people in town because of the annoying shinobi from the leaf village, that pupil-less one kept finding us and the green ones took pleasure in beating us all senseless." He explains. 

_Pupil-less one…? From what he's just said, I'd imagine the team we're going to relieve is…_

I feel a ball of dread form in my stomach at the realization. 

"Well, if that's all you want, then you should know that you had a run of bad luck…" Kurenai tells him. "We're the team of shinobi going to relieve that group, and we've got another one of the pupil-less ones with us." She tells him.

I see his eyes go wide as she reaches for his face. A moment later his neck snaps, his body going limp. The three of us watch our teacher as she proceeds to snap the remaining two necks, killing the last two living highwaymen…

She looks back at us, and I see a grim expression on her face.

"These men were no longer useful, and would only cause more harm to others if they were allowed to roam free." She explains. 

"Wouldn't it have been better to lock them in a prison cell, rather then kill them?" Naruto asks. 

She sighs heavily.

"Naruto, we're on a mission, and there aren't any prisons nearby that we could throw them in." She tells us. "Death is sometimes unavoidable, the three of you did good taking these men alive, and I've spared you three their deaths on your conscience." She tells us. She puts the bodies on the side of the road, attaching a small sign made of paper to one of them explaining who the corpses are, and asking the next traveler to bury them. 

The four of us continue on our trip, leaving the four corpses behind. Personally, I have a very different opinion of my teacher, now that I've seen her kill without hesitation…

_She didn't enjoy it, that's saying something, isn't it?_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

We make camp several hours later after nightfall. We all take to our assigned duties from our teacher with little more then one word responses and short concise answers to her questions. She decides to send me out to gather firewood, and I use my Byakugan to quickly accomplish the task. Returning to the campsite, I see both Naruto and Shino hard at work, Naruto setting up tents while Shino creates a fire pit. 

I set the wood down without a word, the Aburame boy nodding his thanks. I look around, trying to find something to do; only I don't see Kurenai-sensei anywhere in camp…

"Where is sensei?" I ask aloud, Shino looking up from his task. 

"Our teacher proclaimed she was going to a nearby river to cleanse her body." Shino says.

_A nearby river…_

A few quick hand signs later, I know where my teacher is, the veins around my eyes receding a moment later.

"I'll go check on her; it's dangerous for even a Jounin to be alone at night, especially taking a bath." 

Shino goes back to his task, Naruto never stopping what he's doing. Both boys give an acknowledging grunt. I start off toward my teacher, walking into the trees. Before long, I find her sitting in a river, up to her neck in water, her body stretched out in the air, chakra attaching her to that particular spot.

I approach as quietly as I can, though my sensei still manages to detect my presence.

"Hinata, is something the matter?" She asks with the back of her head toward me.

"No, I was just concerned for you, sensei." I tell her, standing there, happy that she can't see me.

"I'm in no danger; I'm more then capable of handling myself." She tells me. 

I nod, though I know she can't see the motion.

"It's just, you killed those men earlier, and now you choose to take a bath…" I begin. "I am not stupid sensei, though I have never done it, grandmother has told me that when you take someone's life, it weighs heavily on your mind…" 

The woman lets out a heavy sigh.

"Pray Hinata; that you never have to kill anyone, even in the line of duty…" She tells me. "You'll sleep a lot better in life…" 

I nod, approaching the bank of the stream, and I sit down next to her on the bank, sitting with my legs near my body, my head resting against my knees. 

"The Kyuubi killed a lot of people when it attacked, creating a lot of resentment and hatred over the lives lost…" I begin. "In the eyes of those who lived through the disaster, I see that mourning, that anger and I believe in a small way it's helped me to understand the weight death carries…" 

"But, you had nothing to do with the Kyuubi attacking our village, only the bad luck to be born on the day it decided to tear into Konoha." 

I nod, feeling depressed over the event that happened 12 years ago, but yet impacts me life each and every day…

"I'll be in here a while Hinata, you should take this time, and let both Shino and Naruto know about your secret, it would make talking about it easier, and I'm sure you'll feel a lot better about it once you tell them." She suggests, and I nod, feeling myself blush.

"I came here to help cheer you up sensei, and you end up trying to help me…" I explain, only to see my teacher smile.

"You three are all my precious students; I can't help it if I want you to be happy." She tells me. 

I nod, getting up and turning back toward our camp. 

"Be careful sensei, we're out in the woods, and a long way from help." I tell her, only to see her wave her hand dismissively. 

I start back toward out camp site, my mind churning on how to best tell my two teammates the secret that I've been carrying since the day I was born…

When I arrive at the camp site, I see both Shino and Naruto still working diligently. I approach Naruto, only to hear Shino speak up.

"That is a shadow clone, and not the real Naruto." He tells me. "The real Naruto left to patrol the surroundings, saying he needed to 'work off some energy.'" Shino tells me.

I nod, accepting the boy's information.

I make several hand signs, activating my Byakugan. Not for the first time, I'm glad I possess the powerful dojutsu my clan is so famed for, and I'm glad that I've managed to increase the radius of vision to 100 meters during my short 12 years in this world…

I see Naruto, roughly 30 meters west of where I stand, moving in a circular pattern around our camp site. It's a logical patrol pattern, and I quickly take off, leaving Shino and the clone alone together again.

_I'll tell Naruto first, and then I'll use what I learn from that to explain it to Shino…_

I quickly find the blonde genin, calling out to him and stopping him in his tracks.

"Hinata, what's wrong, is something the matter with Kurenai-sensei?" He asks, landing on a sturdy branch.

I shake my head no, landing next to him, my Byakugan fading.

"I want to talk to you about something…" I mutter, pressing my pointer fingers together again. "Can we talk on the ground?" I ask, the blonde boy nodding.

Both of us hop off the tree and make our way down to ground level. I stand apart from him, and he slides his hands into his hip pockets.

"So, what'd you want to talk about, Hinata?" He asks with a hint of curiosity to his voice.

_How can I bring this up without sounding like an idiot? I can't just say 'I've got the Kyuubi sealed inside me, wanna see the seal on my stomach?' _

Then, an idea strikes me.

"Naruto, do you remember the history lesson on the Kyuubi No Kitsune?" I ask, the blonde boy nodding.

"Yeah, it was a demon that attacked our village; it killed a lot of people, like a living catastrophe." He says. "Dad talks about it all the time, and about how your father stepped up to protect the village when the demon wounded him." 

I nod to him.

"Does your father ever tell you what happened to it?" I ask.

"Yeah…" He begins, his voice showing his puzzled state. "He said that it was killed by your father, using a technique that dad developed." 

"Well, that's almost true…" I tell him, and I see his eyes questioning my statement. "The fox was killed, or rather; it was sealed into the body of a newborn baby." I explain to him. 

"Sealed into a newborn?" He asks, and I nod.

"The demon couldn't be outright killed, but it could be sealed, so my father used a powerful sealing jutsu to contain the beast, and save the village." I explain. 

"Well, who did he seal it into?" He asks. "The demon attacked 12 years ago, so it would have to be someone our age. Did they kill the child the demon was sealed in?" He asks, and I shake my head no.

"They didn't kill the baby; they allowed it to live, your father hoping one day that the people of the village would see the child as a hero for containing the demon." I explain. 

"Well, that still doesn't explain who the demon was sealed into." He tells me. "I mean, something like that would have to be really strong, to contain a monster that powerful…" 

I swallow the saliva in my throat, ready to drop the big clue that should allow the boy to put the pieces together.

"My birthday is December 27th…" I tell him, looking down at the ground, feeling dread rise up from my stomach. 

I can hear the gears beginning to turn in his head in his tone of voice.

"You were born on that day, and the demon was sealed into a newborn…" He begins.

"The Kitsune possessed a powerful red chakra…" I mutter. 

"You don't mean…" He begins, and I nod, apprehension filling me when I open my mouth to admit my secret to him.

"I am the baby that the Kyuubi was sealed inside." I finally admit. "The redness of my eyes doesn't come from my mother, but the demon's presence inside me. I'm so sorry I lied to you Naruto-kun!" I blurt out, bowing to him in apology, preparing for the screaming to begin…

There's a long moment of silence between us. I look up to see a multitude of emotions playing across my teammate's face, recognition, understanding, but no anger, no hatred or fear…

"I'll understand if you want me off this squad…" I tell him while I get to my feet. The boy has not said a syllable since I explained my secret to him. "Kurenai-sensei said that there shouldn't be secrets among teammates or friends, and I consider you my friend Naruto-kun…" I say.

The boy looks down toward the ground a moment, and then looks up at me, his eyes clear and filled with questioning.

"Why would I want you off of our squad Hinata?" He asks, not using an honorific. "Did you just absorb the Kyuubi before we left, and up until that point, you didn't have it?" He asks, and I shake my head.

"No, from the moment I was born, for as long as I can remember, I've had the Kyuubi sealed inside of me…" 

"Are you going to let it out, to try and hurt Shino or me, or Kurenai-sensei?" He asks, and I look back at him, turning pale as I shake my head no.

"No, I wouldn't ever do such a thing…" I deny, and then I see something I don't expect, I see the blonde boy smile.

"Then I don't see any reason to have you taken off my team." He tells me matter of factly. "If anything, now that I know this I understand why the villages stare at you…"

I feel the dread rise.

"If you understand, then, please don't look at me like they do, Naruto, I couldn't…" I mutter, my voice breaking near the end.

The boy gains a look of surprise on his face, tears beginning to fall down my cheeks.

_I couldn't take it if you looked at me like they do. I just couldn't take it…_

For that moment, I contemplate cutting my throat the moment I return to the village, until the boy speaks.

"I said I understood, I didn't say I AGREE with them Hinata." He tells me, and I feel his right hand touch my shoulder reassuringly. 

I look up to see the boy smiling a genuine smile.

"Dad always said that your father was a hero, and you're a hero to our village as well, and now I understand why." He tells me, giving me the smile. "You keep the Kyuubi locked up inside of you, keeping all of us safe." He tells me. "How can I look at you like you're a monster, when you protect me and everyone else in the village every day of your life?" 

I feel the tears come, and I sob, losing what control I had on my emotions.

"Naruto…" I mutter, burying my head in his chest.

I don't know what makes me come so close to him, but I feel his arms wrap around me, holding me gently.

"You've been through so much Hinata; it isn't fair how the people have treated you." He tells me. "But, it's all right; you can let it all out…" He says.

I cry 12 years worth of tears into my teammate's shirt, letting out all the sadness and rejection that has welled up inside of me. I don't know how long I stand there, crying and sobbing into the boy's chest, but he holds me the entire time, never once loosening his grip, or complaining about my getting his shirt wet…

I sniffle, feeling most of the tears have gone, and I pull away slightly, his arms opening to allow me to move. I look my teammate in his eyes, seeing a slight smile there.

"I'm sorry…" I mutter, looking down at the wet mark on the green fabric. "I got your jacket wet…" I sniffle again, wiping my cheeks.

He waves his hand dismissively.

"It'll dry…" He tells me. "I'm more worried about you, are you sure you're done?" He asks; his voice filled with compassion.

I nod, sniffling again, wiping my eyes one more time. 

"Yes and thank you…" I say to him looking down, feeling my cheeks flush. "I don't know what came over me." 

He shrugs.

"I just wish you would've told me sooner…" He says. "While we were still in the village, instead of all the way out here, I could do something about the people glaring at you that way…" 

My eyes go wide in recognition.

"You don't have to do anything…" I quickly tell him. "Your father already decreed that no one can talk about the fate of the Kyuubi other then me, so no one else our age knows why their parents scorn me so, but they pick up on it, and they do so as well." I tell him. "You can't make people change Naruto, not even the Hokage can make people realize their ignorance…"

I see the boy scowl, looking away from me.

"Well, then I'm going to become a Hokage that CAN!" He tells me. "It isn't right, and it isn't fair that people look at you like you're some kind of monster, when you're protecting them from a creature they're helpless against!" He tells me. "When I become Hokage, you'll be recognized as the hero you are Hinata, not as the monster they think you are…" 

I feel more tears at the boy's words, but the bushes rustle behind me. I spin around at the noise, the Byakugan appearing in my eyes without a single hand sign…

The bushes part, revealing Kurenai-sensei as she walks into the small area Naruto and I are talking in.

"I figured you'd be here…" She says. 

The Byakugan fades from my eyes, Naruto looking puzzled at our teacher.

"How'd you find us sensei?" Naruto asks. "We're out here in the middle of nowhere?" 

I see our teacher grin.

"Shino planted a scent producing female kikai bug on both of you." She tells us both. "He's had all of us bug tagged just in case of an emergency." She explains.

I immediately feel the urge to run to the river and strip my clothes off, jumping in to try and get the small bug off of my body…

"Though, he told me that the bug is hiding somewhere on each of your bodies, and living off a miniscule amount of your chakra, just enough for them to survive, so I doubt either of you will notice." She says.

I feel my face go pale at the thought of a kikai bug crawling into my pants and hiding there…

"He also said to tell me that the bug is living in your hair, and not to scrub too hard, or you might kill it." She finishes. 

I feel relief wash over me that the insect is only living on my head, and not anywhere else on my body…

"But sensei, what'll happen when we take a shower, won't the bug die?" Naruto asks. 

"I'd think Shino will recall his allies once we arrive at our destination, and only tag you whenever we separate." She explains.

I breathe a sigh of relief. 

"Though, I didn't come out here to tell you about your unknown guests, I came to check to see how Hinata's confession was going, though I'd say it went rather well, looking at the two of you…" She says with a grin.

I look down to avoid her gaze, and I hear Naruto speak.

"She didn't come out and tell me right away, she kinda led me to guess, and then confirmed it." Naruto explains. 

I look up to see our Jounin teacher smile, nodding at him.

"Well, if that's the case, then both of you know about Hinata's secret." She says matter of factly.

I feel my face go pale again.

"Sensei, you told Shino?" I ask.

She shakes her head no.

"Your quiet little teammate happens to have very powerful observational and deductive skills beyond his age." Kurenai tells us. "When I returned from the bath, he asked me some questions about you Hinata, asking me to confirm your birthday and the color of the Kyuubi, and then he gave me an extremely detailed explanation telling me that he believes that you are the child the Kyuubi was sealed into." She explains. "Since I hadn't told him anything, and he drew this conclusion on his own, I just confirmed it for him…" She explains. "I didn't break the Hokage's law, since I didn't speak about you being the Kyuubi; I only commented that his deductions were very accurate." 

"What did he think about my not telling him?" I ask.

As if on cue, I hear a rustle in the bushes, and I look to see Shino emerge from the greenery.

"I would like to inquire why you did not reveal this fact the first day we met, and to express my sincerest sympathy for the negative treatment the villagers have given you up to this point." He says his hands in his pockets. 

I look down, avoiding my teammate's gaze.

"I thought that if I told you about this, you'd think I was a demon or something, like the other villagers…' I explain, and I see him push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I find that to be a most offensive thought…" He tells me matter of factly.

I open my mouth to ask why, but the boy continues to speak.

"The fact that the Kyuubi No Kitsune is within you in no way makes you the demon, just as the kikai bugs within me does not make me a kikai." He tells me. "Rather, I sympathize with your situation, being in a similar one myself." He finishes. 

I lower my head, bowing deeply to the boy.

"My sincerest apologizes…" I say to him, meaning every word. "I did not know that you received a similar treatment from the other villagers, nor did I know you felt the way you do about this matter." I explain. 

I see the boy shift his weight to his left foot. 

"It is forgiven…" He says. "In light of this information, I find myself reevaluating my perception of both you and the village in which we all live…" He says. "Though, such things will have to wait until we return to the village." He comments. "For now, we should set up camp and establish a watch rotation." 

I nod, feeling relief fall over me like a waterfall rushing over a cliff.

_Thank Kami that they both accepted my being the Jinchuriki, and they both still want to be around me…_

Heading back to camp, I wonder for a moment if what just happened is what having real friends means, and I quickly agree with myself, knowing that it is…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

That night, we set up a watch rotation, with me going first. Fortunately, nothing happens and I go to sleep at the end of my shift, for the first night in a long time I sleep peacefully. 

The next morning I awake to see Naruto awake from his last shift in the rotation, the three of us rousing at the same time. We all eat a ration bar and then break camp. Today is our last day of travel, and we should be at the border town by noon today to relieve the genin team stationed there…

_If I'm right, then Neji-nii-san is one of the Genin waiting for us, and I'm sure he'll be angry that we took all three days to make it…_

We travel in silence, though the silence is much more comfortable, and I feel more secure now that Kurenai-sensei isn't the only one among the team to know my secret. The fact that both of them sympathized with me only made me feel worse about hiding it for so long, though over dinner last night, I managed to explain my reasons, and they accepted them as well. Shino wasn't too thrilled that I believed he might do something as illogical as 'reject someone simply because of an event beyond their control,' though the boy didn't appear too annoyed for very long. After that, Kurenai explained the private talks she's had with the Fourth Hokage since taking us on as a team, keeping the man informed of our relationship, both as shinobi and as people, since the Fourth selected both of them because he felt they would accept me for me, and not turn on me like the other villagers. I could see the relief on her face as she talked, and I know that the next private discussion she has with the Hokage will be a positive one. 

Finally, we arrive at the border town 2 hours after we wake up, with roughly an hour and a half until we are to relieve the genin team currently stationed here.

"Hinata, can you locate the other team?" Kurenai asks, and I nod.

I use my Byakugan, finding the other team quite quickly, sitting in a small building without any real furniture, only four simple beds and a bathroom connected to it. 

Looking at the group, I recognize Team Gai, a group of genin one year older then Naruto, Shino and I. I know they are led by Maito Gai, the leaf village's foremost taijutsu expert, as well as an eccentric without compare, save for one of his students, a 13 year old miniature version of him named Rock Lee. Looking at the mini-Gai, I see that his chakra coils are smaller then an average person and I realize that he must have a horrible time with anything other then taijutsu. I also recognize the daughter of the weapons-smith Ten-Ten. She is the only girl of the group, and specializes in thrown weapons, though I've never seen her fight. Finally, I see Neji Hyuga, son of Hizashi Hyuga, my father's twin brother and leader of the branch family. Neji sits with his back against a wall, looking bored and acting like his teammates aren't worth his time. Gai stands leaning against a wall, tapping his foot against the wall, waiting impatiently for our arrival. Lee standing next to him, mimicking his teacher's actions, Ten-Ten sits on one of the beds, shaking her head slowly at both Lee and Gai's actions. In a corner I see four large backpacks nearly identical to ours…

"I've found them…" I tell my teacher. "They all appear to be waiting, some more patiently then others." 

I see Kurenai understand the second part of my statement. Our teacher motions for us to continue into the town.

"Well, we shouldn't keep Konoha's Fiercest Beast of Battle waiting, should we?" She asks a joking tone to her voice.

Both Naruto and I stifle a laugh, Shino merely stands there, looking unemotional as usual.

"It would be bad decorum to do so…" He comments, missing the joke. 

Needless to say, Maito Gai's reputation in the village for being impatient is well known, even to those who never met him, but somehow that reputation escapes the Aburame clan…

We move through the town and to the building that Team Gai now occupies. Kurenai opens the door and walks inside with a confident strike, Naruto behind her, then Shino and finally me. All four of the shinobi inside spin their heads to look, and I see Ten-Ten let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, Kurenai-san, I take you're our relief?" He asks.

Our teacher nods. 

She slips off her backpack, and then ruffles through it. A moment later she produces the scroll with the seal of the Hokage on it, and tosses it to the large man in green. He catches it in mid air, opening it and reading the contents of the scroll carefully, then rolling it up again.

"Yosh, it seems our relief has arrived!" He finally yells out, giving a thumb up, and flashing his teeth.

I think I see spots for a moment after he closes his mouth.

"I'm sorry we're almost late." Kurenai says. "We ran into some trouble on the way here, highwaymen tried to rob us." She explains. "They appeared to have had a run in with you Gai, because when I interrogated one of them, they described Neji and you and Lee fairly accurately." She tells them.

I see Gai's expression shift at this.

"Oh, you ran into them did you?" He asks. "We had some run-ins with them as well, and I had hoped that the Flames of Lee's Youth would shine down on them and show them a better path, which is why I forbid us from killing them." He explains.

_The 'Flames of Lee's Youth,' what in the world is that supposed to be?_

I glance to Naruto, who seems just as lost as I am, though Shino appears emotionless…

"If the flames of my youth are not strong enough now, Gai-sensei, I swear that I will stoke them and make them even brighter the next time!" Lee yells out, and I don't know if he's happy or sad, or why he's yelling…

"Lee…!" Gai yells.

"Gai-sensei…!" Lee returns.

"Lee…!" Gai responds.

"Gai-sensei…" 

_I feel a headache coming on…_

Before another chorus can be heard, Kurenai clears her throat, rather loudly…

"I'm afraid you won't get another chance to try and change their ways Gai." Kurenai tells him. "I killed one of them during the initial attack, though my students subdued the other three. I saw no point after an interrogation in leaving them alive, so I killed them." She tells the man.

I see him make a 'hmm..' noise, and I wonder if it means the eccentric man in green is thinking, or he's just hungry, and verbally expressing it. Either option would make sense to me at this point…

"I see…" Gai finally responds in words. "It is a shame that such men are incapable of changing their ways once exposed to the Power of Youth…" Gai finally comments. 

I see Neji sigh, standing up and walking past me to the four bags.

"I'll be outside…" He says simply, picking up his bag and leaving through the only door. 

_Guess he had enough of this 'Power of Youth' stuff, though I can hardly blame him. If I were in his place, I'd probably want a medic to perform a field lobotomy on me so I didn't care as much, or I'd give up being a Shinobi, just to get away from the insanity that is Maito Gai…_

I see Gai suddenly get serious, his eyes resting on the door for a long few moments.

"I can never seem to get through to that one…" He comments to no one. "For all his observational abilities, he cannot see the light of the Flames of Youth, locking himself away as he does…" Gai observes in a rare moment of intelligence.

_Maybe he always has that kind of intelligence, but the stress of being a Jounin has him acting like that all the time as a means to cope with the harsh reality. If that's the case, then why Kurenai-sensei isn't more like him, I don't know…_

"Gai, your methods can't get through to everyone, and…inspire students to be like Lee all the time." She says. "Especially with a member of the Hyuga family, it's almost impossible to get them to lose that arrogance the family seems to bolster."

I see the other Jounin eye me, and I suddenly feel very nervous under his gaze.

"What about you, Kurenai, you have a Hyuga on your squad, and I don't sense the same arrogance possessed by my Neji…" He points out.

Kurenai's gaze thins toward him, and I see her eyebrows shift down.

"Hinata is special Gai; you know that as well as I do…" She responds, her voice neutral, though only a step away from possessing a confrontational tone.

The man nods, though I know he would never give away my secret…

Ten-Ten sighs, getting up and moving behind her teacher and his prized student.

"All right both of you, they're our relief, so let them relieve us, and let's go home!" She insists.

She begins to push the two of them out of the room, literally pushing both of the green clad shinobi toward the door. Fortunately, the two of them manage to grab their packs before they leave, with Ten-Ten grabbing her own. The kunoichi waves good bye before she closes the door, leaving the four of us alone.

I see Kurenai-sensei rub her head like she's getting a headache…

"If they ever needed proof that the stress of missions can impact a ninja's sanity; that man would be the only evidence they'd ever need." Kurenai says. 

"Um, sensei, shouldn't we get settled in?" I ask, and our teacher nods. 

"First things first, everyone give me your collapsible tents." Kurenai says.

The three of us do as we're told, handing her the tents she asks for. She takes the tents, using one of their lesser known abilities to our advantage. The tents are made for military use, allowing multiple tent walls to be connected together to form a larger tent. Kurenai uses this function to create a large wall between two of the beds, creating a large wall that will give us privacy from the two boys…

"Now Hinata and I will be able to get some privacy while we sleep at least…" Kurenai mutters, attaching the tent walls to both the ceiling and the floor with the spokes. 

"Um, sensei, aren't we here to watch this town, not set up privacy walls?" Naruto asks, and our teacher nods.

"I know that Naruto, I just don't like the idea of you two thinking you might get a look at Hinata or I while we sleep." She says.

The blonde boy doesn't argue the point, knowing full well he can't win the argument…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Demon within...

Kurenai-sensei takes matters into her own hands, going at our first C rank assignment with everything she has. She assigns us to patrol the town in two separate teams. Though, the teams are always either Naruto and I, or Kurenai and I, with Shino and the other member of our team together with him.

Her strategy is simple in its elegance, Shino and I act as early warning systems with our respective abilities. Naruto and Kurenai are supposed to handle the heavy combat should we need it. Naruto, with his Shadow clones can make an intimidating army appear out of nowhere, while our teacher can create illusions that baffle the mind.

For the first 5 days of our mission, we don't encounter any problems, the people of the town seemingly glad that a shinobi presence is maintained, even if it costs them to have children walk around their streets. We disrupt disputes that could become violent, forcing a peaceful solution. Until the 5th day, the worst incident I'm involved in is a dispute between two people over the price of an expensive necklace…

The fifth day starts like any other day. Kurenai-sensei assigns Naruto and me to patrol the north end of the town's main road that bisects the town. Naruto and I both take our task with all seriousness, with me using my Byakugan I constantly scan the area as we patrol. Unfortunately, after mid day, I spot something with my Byakugan…

"Naruto, something's wrong…" I tell him, both of us stopping in our tracks…

I see the Fuma shuriken fly from the edge of my vision. I grab my teammate and tackle him aside, the large Shuriken stabbing into the ground where we both stood a moment ago. Naruto and I land on our stomachs; through the Byakugan I see a woman approach the two of us.

"Naruto, someone's coming…" I tell him.

We both get to our feet, using a wireless radio in my right ear to notify Kurenai.

"Kurenai-sensei, we've been ambushed by an older woman that I do not recognize." I tell her.

I hear my teacher's muttered affirmative. I turn toward the attacker.

The attacker is a woman wearing a mini skirt and a sleeveless top. Metal mesh covers her entire upper body. She wears scrolls against both sides of her ribcage, attached to her thighs as well. She has short blonde hair with blue eyes. She looks to be in her mid twenties, though I can't tell for sure…

"More kids…?" The blonde asks, landing on the street, 20 feet away from us.

I glare at the woman through my Byakugan, seeing her chakra network, the energy flowing through it…

_Judging from her chakra network, I'd say she's at least a Chunin level ninja…_

"Stand back Hinata, I'll handle this!" Naruto yells.

He makes a hand sign, and I recognize it as the sign he always uses to use his favorite technique.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu…!" He yells.

Chakra shimmers in the air, and then 20 Narutos appear around me. The clones let out an angry yell and then charge forward. The 20 of them run toward her in an angry advance.

"So, you can make Shadow Clones, eh…?" She mutters.

The woman grabs a scroll, and I see her funnel chakra into it, creating a large 9 foot long puff of smoke. The smoke clears a moment later, with her holding a long dual pointed spear with metal points on each end. The weapon is 9 feet long, with her spinning the weapon around like it doesn't weigh anything. The Narutos charge her, with the spear spinning around like a streak of light, cutting through the clones like a hot knife through butter. When the last of the clones fall, I see the woman smirk, resting the long weapon on her shoulders, holding it in her right hand. She raises her left hand, making a 'come on' gesture with it, a smirk on her face.

"Is that all you Genin have?" She asks, her voice irradiating confidence.

I see Naruto grimace when his arms reach for his legs, preparing to remove his leg weights.

"I don't know who this girl is, but this is gonna be fun…" He mutters.

He releases the weights on his legs; a moment later his arm weights come off, flicking his legs and arms to remove the weights. Free of the restraints he charges forward. He moves with amazing speed, the girl spinning her weapon around. I feel my blood chill when Naruto ducks and dodges the woman's attacks. I see him get close, his left fist impacting her jaw. The woman shifts her weight, Naruto following up with a kick to her chest. She releases the spear into the air when the force of Naruto's kick knocks her back. I see her flip in the air, landing on her feet. She uses chakra to attach her feet to the ground, stopping her movement. She grabs two scrolls from her hips, one from each hip, funneling chakra into her hands and creating a cloud of smoke.

The smoke clears to reveal 2 katana swords, one in each hand. She holds the swords with practiced ease, assuming a defensive sword stance. She optimizes the use of both of her blades…

I see Naruto's right hand go to his weapon pouch, hurling 3 kunai toward the woman in a practiced smooth motion. The woman swats the knives out of the air using both of her swords, Naruto charging forward. With his increased speed, the woman swings her swords defensively. Naruto uses a kunai like a knife, using it to block her defensive swings. I see her emitting chakra from her back, a steady wave of chakra flowing from her back. Naruto grips a kunai in each hand to defend himself, eventually leaping backward away from her and landing on his feet. The woman smirks, charging for Naruto, the blonde boy throwing his knives, freeing his hands a moment before the woman knocks the knives away. Naruto forms a hand sign, letting out another yell.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu…!" He yells out.

More of his shadow clones materialize into existence, the woman smirking when the first of his clones charge for her. She uses her dual swords in a blur of motion. I see one of the many Narutos moving around behind the woman, charging forward to try and attack her from behind. The Naruto enters the cloud of chakra behind her, the woman spinning one of her swords around, swinging it like a streak of light. Fortunately, the Naruto stops, the sword cutting within millimeters of his left shoulder. He jumps back with a caution that his clones don't show, and I realize that must be the original Naruto. A moment later, the remaining Naruto clones are gone.

"That was a nice attempt…" I see her mutter. "Though you won't to get to me like that…" She tells him.

_She's emitting chakra through her back, if Naruto could see that, he'd know to just let this drag on until she uses all of her chakra…_

Naruto grabs for shuriken, throwing them toward the woman. She swats them out of the air, only I see thin wires extending from Naruto's hands to the 6 shuriken he threw. I see him flex the lines, causing them to turn in the air. The metal wires wrap around the woman, only her swords preventing the wires from cutting her into pieces. I see him pull the wires, causing the metal wires to cut into her body, only to see it disappear in a puff of smoke…

_A replacement technique, pretty good that she pulled it off, and with a shadow clone no less…_

The ground beneath Naruto opens. He looks down a moment before I see him fall down into the ground. I see the earth beneath him entrap him, with the woman shooting up out of the ground and landing behind him. She holds her weapons in each hand. I see her prepare to take Naruto's head.

My right hand grabs several kunai and throws them before I can think. The kunai fly toward the woman. She swats the knives out of the air, turning toward me with a scowl.

"I'd forgotten about you girlie…" She mutters.

With Naruto now trapped in his earth prison, the woman approaches me, a sadistic smile on her face.

"You're like that other kid that was with those two green idiots…" She mutters, referencing Neji, Gai and Lee.

Staring down the woman, I can sense her desire to kill radiating off of her like a cloud. I feel my hands shake, my body quivering against my will…

_What are you doing? Naruto, someone YOU CARE ABOUT is about to get killed by this woman, and you're SHAKING? Look at yourself, you want to be the leader of the Hyuga clan, and you cower in front of this kunoichi when one of your precious people is in danger?_

I glare at the woman, steeling my nerves.

"I'm different…" I mutter.

I throw three kunai at her, the woman swatting the knives out of the air like they're flies. Right behind the knives, I charge in while both swords are away from her body, my Byakugan active. She swings her sword, and I duck under the swipe. I drive my left palm into her chest, lightly tapping her chest, damaging the tenketsu under my palm. The woman swings her other arm, the deadly blade ready to cut me open. I shift right, spinning away from her downward slash. Using my momentum from the spin I drive my right palm into her ribs, sealing off another of her tenketsu with the Gentle Fist. She groans under the strike, swinging across her body with her right arm, trying to cleave my face into pieces. I shift down, pulling my palm back and dodging the attack. I see her foot reel back, chambering a kick, and I jump back, her foot striking only air. I land 10 feet away from her, still standing in a Gentle Fist stance. I watch the woman return to her defensive stance. She stands with her arms in an L shape if you look at her from over her head. She looks at me with a narrow expression, looking at me with eyes filled with malice.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm not letting you get close to me again, those attacks of yours feel like you're hitting my insides or something…" She mutters.

_She can feel the fact that I'm using the Gentle Fist to attack her insides, and close off her tenketsu, but I don't think she's managed to gather the full effects of my two attacks, yet…_

She continues to emit a steady amount of chakra through her back, though the amount has suffered due to my attacks on her chakra network…

_Judging from that, she's releasing a set percentage of her chakra, with my attacks on her coils, she's releasing less because she no longer has full access to her chakra…_

I see both of her swords disappear in a puff of smoke. They return to their scroll forms. I charge forward, knowing that this is a prime chance to attack her. She quickly slides the scrolls back into their holsters. Then she grabs another scroll next to her left ribs. She quickly withdraws it and funnels a small amount of chakra into it. There's a large puff of smoke, followed by a barrage of kunai appearing and flying toward me.

_Crap, I don't have any choice; I'll have to use that technique…_

"Rotation…!" I yell out, naming the technique.

I stop, my feet gluing to the ground for a moment, and then I spin around, releasing a burst of chakra from my body, spinning it around me. The chakra forms a blue-red dome of energy, knocking away the kunai like a physical wall. The 7 knives are deflected by the Gentle Fist defensive technique, and I stop spinning, the dome fading a moment later.

"What the hell…" I see her ask, holding the summoning scroll in her right hand.

"You won't defeat me with those pathetic skills…" I tell her, standing in the normal stance for the Gentle Fist.

She slides the scroll back into its spot on her uniform, withdrawing another scroll. I charge forward, trying to get in close while the woman is in the middle of changing weapons. There's another puff of smoke, and I see a hooked end of a chain emerge from the cloud. I duck the chain, seeing it shoot backward into the cloud. The cloud clears a moment later, I see the woman holding the hooked end of the chain in her right hand. She holds the other end of the 20 foot chain in her left hand. She spins the hooked end in her right hand, a grin on her face.

"Now, you can't get close to me, so you can't strike me with those weird hits of yours." She tells me.

I grimace, the ground around my feet eroded away from the rotation…

"You think that will save you from my Gentle Fist?" I ask. "No one witnesses the secrets of the Hyuga clan, and live to tell the tale." I tell her, glaring at her through the Byakugan.

She spins the hooked end of her weapon, throwing it at me again. I backhand slap the hooked end of the weapon away, grabbing the chain behind the hook. I take the chain in both hands, pulling as hard as I can, but she simply releases the chain, allowing it to fly toward me. I quickly discard the chain, charging forward with my hands set in open palms. The woman goes for one of her scrolls, trying to ready another weapon. There's a loud POP and a cloud of smoke as she calls another weapon forth. I see through the cloud that she's got another weapon ready, a large Fuma shuriken flying through the cloud, a wire attached to the hole in the middle of the large throwing star. I spin left, dodging the shuriken, continuing forward toward my target, ready to deliver a Gentle Fist blow that will damage her internal organs. Then, a windmill shuriken flies out of the cloud, heading straight toward me. I spin right, dodging the shuriken, the throwing weapon only slowing me down for a moment. I charge into the breach, only to see a metal shaft extend out from the cloud, striking me in the chest. I can feel some of my ribs give under the metal staff. From both my momentum and the force of the attack, I feel my body fly backward, landing on my back with a loud thud. I feel pain resonate through my entire body when I land on the ground with a thud. I lay there, feeling the pain in my chest with each beat of my heart…

_Feels like 4 of my ribs are broken, and I'd say there's some internal damage…_

I look my Byakugan to see my theory confirmed. 4 of my ribs are broken, with contusions to the walls of my heart…

_If I stay like this, I'm finished…_

I feel my eyes get heavy, and I can't stay awake…

_This would be shock…_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next thing I know, I'm standing ankle deep in water, inside what appears to be a dimly lit underground bunker.

"What is all this…" I ask aloud.

I can't hear anything beyond an occasional drop of water, though the air is thick and moist, as if the area was flooded until recently.

"HELLO?" I yell out, looking for another person within the underground bunker.

I don't hear any verbal response, so I try to activate my Byakugan. I try using the signs the first time, with no response, so I attempt the second method, only to get the same response…

"My Byakugan, why can't I use it…?" I ask aloud.

Then, I hear a low rumble, almost like an animalistic roar. My ears twitch at the noise. Not having any other option, I follow the low rumble toward its source. My feet make a plop noise with every step, before long I find myself emerging into a large 30 foot high room 10 feet long and 10 feet wide. Against the far wall, I see a large set of bars, with the symbol for seal attached to a paper in the middle of the bars, the only thing keeping the bars closed and locked. I stand there in awe a moment and then pair of large eyes appear in the darkness. A low growl emanates from within the bars, a giant set of white teeth appearing below the eyes.

"This must be…" I mutter.

The thing looks at me a moment, its voice whisking out from behind the bars…

"Come here, little girl…" A dark and ominous voice echoes from behind the bars.

I take three steps forward, a giant claw leaping out from behind the bars, stopping inches in front of my face. I jump in fright, moving AWAY from the bars…

"Damn this seal…" The monster growls, the claw retracting behind the bars.

I stand there a moment, looking at the giant eyes of the Kyuubi No Kitsune, the demon that ravaged Konoha like a force of nature.

"You're the Kyuubi No Kitsune, aren't you?" I finally manage to speak aloud.

The demon growls an annoyed growl.

"That is what you pathetic humans call me…" The monster growls at me. "If it weren't for this damnable seal and that pale eyed man, I'd never be here…"

I feel anger rise up from within me.

"You think I WANT you here?" I ask. "You're the reason the people of my village look at me like I'm a monster!" I yell at the monster, forgetting just what this demon is. "It's because of YOU that I had to grow up without a father!"

The demon mutters something unintelligible.

"So, it was your father that put me here, how ironic…"

I let out a sigh.

"I don't know what I'm doing here, but I have to wake up, I don't know if I'm dreaming, but Naruto is in danger, and if I don't wake up, that woman will kill us both…"

"Are you truly so blind as to not understand what's happening?" The demon asks.

"If I'm talking to you, then I must be within my own spirit…"

"Close enough…" The Kyuubi admits. "You're here because you're wounded, but I can help…" It says.

"You can help…?" I ask, and I hear it growl.

"Are you deaf AS WELL AS blind?" It demands.

I shake my head.

"I just don't understand why you'd help me!" I tell it. "You've done nothing to help me before…"

"If you die little girl, then I die, even an existence such as this is better then death." It tells me. "My chakra can heal the wounds that woman inflicted on you in a moment, all you need do is call out to it." It explains.

"If it's to protect Naruto, I'll do anything…" I tell it.

I see the monster smile a big toothy smile.

"We'll see just how resolute you are…" It says.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

My eyes open, the pain from the wounds subsiding instantly. I activate my Byakugan without the seals, feeling chakra fill every inch of my body. I see the woman walking toward me, stop in mid step. I stand up, and I feel chakra filling my body. I don't notice the red aura surrounding my form, nor do I care at this point. Looking at the woman, I feel anger fill my body.

"What are you, you freak?" The woman asks.

Without a word, the woman finds my right palm slammed into her chest. She looks down to see chakra irradiate from the strike in a circular motion, only I intentionally don't use a killing strike. My attack closes off 4 of her tenketsu from the sheer amount of chakra within the strike. I grasp her top near her bosom; using strength somehow gained through the red chakra I hurl the woman like a rag doll. She slams into the side of a building, her body bouncing off the wall a moment. A split second later, she finds her own 9 foot long spear plunging into her chest, next to her heart. She screams in pain with my right hand near the other pointed end of the staff.

"How does this feel you bitch?" I mutter, twisting the weapon in the wound, now going through the wall. "You will pay for hurting Naruto…"

I twist the weapon again, and then I release the spear and move forward, my hands hitting her chest in a rapid succession of strikes in no particular pattern. I intentionally refrain from using chakra at first, wanting to cause her as much pain as possible. Finally with the last strike I hit her heart, channeling chakra into the strike. My palm rests on her chest, her heart stopping from the damage inflicted by my blow. I stand there a moment, relishing in watching the woman's eyes go blank, and then close. Her body goes limp, stuck to the wall by her own weapon…

I feel myself grin at the thought of the woman slain by her own weapon…

"Hinata…" I hear Naruto's strained voice.

Like a rainstorm washing over my body, I feel the rage disappear followed by relief. The woman is dead, her threat to Naruto and me over…

Turning around, I see Naruto still stuck in the ground, held fast by the dead woman's ninjutsu. I avoid his gaze during the short walk toward him. Kneeling down next to him, I see him look up at me, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What's wrong Hinata?" He asks. "I'm the one who's stuck in the ground, why do you look like you're the one who got caught?"

I don't know if the boy noticed the red chakra fill my body, or the burst of strength I gained from it. What I do know is that I killed the woman to protect him…

"Um…I…" I mutter, ducking my head.

"Do you think you could help me get out of here?" He asks, pulling my mind to a more productive use. "This technique is keeping me from moving my arms, and I think she used chakra to strengthen it."

I nod, looking toward him. I activate my Byakugan with the use of the hand signs, using the kekkei genkai to see the chakra strengthening the prison technique…

_She did use chakra to keep him here. I guess she wanted to make sure Naruto didn't get out while she dealt with me. All I have to do is disrupt that chakra, and I should be able to get him free…_

Using the Gentle Fist, I strike the ground around Naruto with my palm. I see the chakra flow stop, dissipating into the ground. I deactivate my Byakugan, reaching down toward Naruto's face.

"I'll pull you up, so try and pull yourself out as well." I tell him.

I grab his head, putting my back into lifting the boy out of the ground. I pull, the genin pushing his body up at the same time. All at once I see his head pop up out of the ground, and I fall backward, still holding onto his head. The boy literally lands on top of me, emerging from the ground relatively unscathed.

It takes me a moment to realize the boy is on top of me, and near enough that we could be kissing…

I feel my cheeks flush at Naruto's closeness. The boy lies on top of me, his hands and his knees on the ground. I lay on my back, looking up at him, a bewildered expression on his face.

"Uh…" He mutters, his cheeks turning red.

In a blur of motion, he's off of me and sitting on the ground. He sits with his back to me, and I don't need the Byakugan to see him blushing.

"What about your ribs?" He asks. "When that woman hit you, I thought it might've broken them…" He comments.

I shake my head, sitting up straight.

"I feel fine Naruto…" I tell him, sitting cross legged. "Her attack didn't hurt as much as it looked like it did…"

_You're lying to him, and he even knows about the Kyuubi now anyway. What should it matter to him that after you woke up the Kyuubi's chakra filled your body, healing the broken ribs you had?_

"That's good…" He says; the conversation between us strained.

Then, Kurenai-sensei arrives, with Shino right behind her. The woman lands near us, her eyes flickering across Naruto and I, then traveling to the dead woman pinned to the house.

"Are you two all right?" She asks, and I nod.

Naruto does the same, Kurenai then walking over to the dead body.

"She's dead, Kurenai-sensei…" I speak up before she gets close to the woman. "I…killed her…"

The woman looks at me a moment, nodding to herself. In spite of my admittance to murdering the woman, Kurenai-sensei still checks her over. Once she's finished with her post mortem examination, she walks back over to the three of us. Shino remains next to Naruto and me. The Aburame boy looks us both over, nodding to himself after a quick glance.

"What happened?" Kurenai-sensei asks.

Naruto speaks up, giving a detailed recounting of the events of the battle. He asks me about certain details, though I usually only nod, or give curt corrections to his descriptions. Kurenai listens intently, filing the details in her mind for later use. Once Naruto finishes his description of the battle, she nods again, looking toward me.

"You did nothing to be ashamed of Hinata." She tells me. "Killing in the line of duty is nothing you'll get punished for."

I nod.

"I know Kurenai-sensei…" I respond, my response hollow.

The woman looks at me a moment, then turns toward her other charges.

"Shino, have your allies detected anything else out of the ordinary?" She asks.

The kikai ninja shakes his head.

"There have been no abnormal sources of chakra entering or exiting this town." He explains.

"All right…" She begins. "Naruto, you and Hinata are to go back to our cabin." She tells us both. "Shino and I will continue patrolling, the two of you should rest up, you'll both resume duty tomorrow morning."

We both nod, standing up. Naruto walks back toward our cabin, with me following him in a daze. I do nothing but stare at the red spiral design on the back of his green jacket, the design leading me back to the cabin we found Team Gai in. Following Naruto inside, I go to my bed behind the privacy wall, my backpack leaning against my bed. I sit down, feeling misery filling my mind.

_I killed someone today, and I enjoyed it…_

I don't know if it was the demon's influence, or my own sadistic nature that caused the pleasurable feeling to well up from within me at killing the woman. I only know that I didn't like reveling in the murder…

"Uh, Hinata…?" I hear Naruto ask.

I look to see his outline beyond the privacy wall. I lower my gaze, my thoughts returning to the life I took.

'Yes, Naruto…?" I ask, and I see his outline scratch the back of his head.

"Can we talk, like face to face?" He asks, and I nod.

I walk around the privacy wall, seeing him standing there, his posture telling me he's uncomfortable.

"Um, look, it's obvious that you're upset about what you did to that woman. I just want to say that I'm glad you did what you did." He tells me. "If you hadn't fought that woman and done what you did, I wouldn't be standing here today." He tries to reassure me.

I nod, though his words do little to lift the veil of depression that's settled into my mind.

"You didn't actually kill her Naruto…" I tell him.

_You're not saying 'And you didn't enjoy it.' _

The boy sighs heavily.

"Look Hinata, I know that if our roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have hesitated to kill her." He explains. "That woman was out for blood, she wanted to kill both of us, and she would've killed Kurenai-sensei and Shino too."

I shake my head.

"I doubt Kurenai-sensei would've fallen victim to her…" I mutter an argument.

_She's far too strong to have fallen to that kunoichi…_

"Well, you shouldn't let yourself worry about it so much Hinata." He tells me, trying to reassure me. "That councilor told us all that to kill an enemy in the line of duty isn't something to be ashamed of, and you protected me and the people of this town."

I avoid his gaze, his words of reassurance nothing to the memory of the joy I felt at stopping her heart, reveling in the pain I inflicted on her…

"I…enjoyed what I did…" I finally admit to him, avoiding his eyes. "After I got hit, I felt myself black out, the next thing I knew, I was speaking to the Kyuubi." I tell him. "It told me it could help me, and I accepted its chakra." I tell him.

"Oh…" He responds. "That's why you weren't hurt, because the Kyuubi's chakra healed you?"

I nod an affirmative.

"After I drew on the red chakra, I felt pleasure at hurting that woman, and I couldn't stop myself…" I tell him, feeling like a piece of filth.

"Well, if you know that's the problem, then it sounds like you could still tell the difference between friend and foe." He tells me. "As long as you can do that, then I don't have anything to worry about."

"But, what if next time, I can't tell the difference?" I ask; my voice weak and frail. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you or Shino, or Kurenai-sensei Naruto…"

I feel his right hand touch my shoulder. I look up to see a smile on his face.

_A smile, how can you be smiling?_

"You aren't gonna hurt me or Shino or Kurenai-sensei Hinata." He tells me, rubbing underneath his nose with his left hand. "You're too strong to give in to that demon; you've kept it inside of you all this time without doing anything bad, so I don't think it'll make you do anything now."

"Naruto…" I mutter, not knowing what to say.

"Besides, the next time something like this happens, and you draw on the red chakra, you know what to expect, so you can control it, rather then be captivated by it."

I nod, and then I feel his arms slide around me, embracing me lightly. I feel my cheeks flush when he begins to speak.

"You saved my life today Hinata, as far as I'm concerned, the next person who talks bad about you will be doing it past a fat lip." He tells me.

The truth in his words gives me inspiration, and I feel the depression that clouded my mind since I killed the woman lift. He pulls back to reveal his smiling face, and I can't help but feel a smile begin to appear on my face.

_Seeing you happy Naruto, I can't help but feel happy myself…_

_But, if I feel this way, then what Kurenai-sensei told me…_

I feel my cheeks flush even farther at the realization.

I see a concerned look appear on the blonde boy's face.

"Are you all right Hinata, you look really flush?" He asks.

I nod, spinning on my heels.

"I'm fine Naruto; I just need to get some air!" I quickly speak. "I'll just take a walk around the town, and I should feel better!"

"If you say so, I'll go with you, since it really isn't safe for someone to go somewhere on their own into hostile territory." He tells me.

_Naruto, I…_

"All right then…" I finally admit.

Leaving our temporary base, both Naruto and I walk around the town. I walk with no real destination in mind, trying not to push my fingers together.

_Why does he want to be around me, after what I did? _

The boy grins walking next to me. I can't help but think back to the fight against the woman assassin. I think of running her though with her spear, the sickening sound of her flesh tearing. I feel a chill run down my spine at the thought. I hear Naruto make an inquisitive noise.

"Hmm, are you all right Hinata?" He asks.

I nearly jump into the clouds at his noticing me.

"Um, I just can't help thinking about the fight against that assassin…" I explain.

I see him gain a grim expression.

"It's because we're just walking around." He tells me, nodding his head. "Follow me; I know what'll take your mind off of that fight."

_Can he really know something that will make me forget about that fight against that woman?_

He leads me to a small secluded area, stopping with 4 feet in front of me. He spins around, sending his right fist toward me. I react instinctively, shifting my weight and shunting his fist away from my body using my left hand.

"Naruto, what're you…" I begin, seeing his left leg coil.

He performs a spin kick, forcing me to duck underneath the blow. The boy plants his left foot, bringing his right foot up in a high kick. I jump backward, dodging his blow. He returns his foot to the ground with an axe kick, a grin on his face.

"As long as you can let your mind wander, you'll just think about what happened." He tells me. "If you're focusing on sparring with me, you won't be thinking about what happened." He tells me.

Though it's a strange way to approach the subject, I can't help but agree with his logic.

"All right, let us spar Naruto…" I say, activating my Byakugan with the appropriate hand signs.

Dropping into a Gentle Fist stance, I see Naruto rolling up his sleeves, revealing the training weights he wears. His weights are nearly identical to mine, including the quick release the boy hits, flicking his arms out and flinging the weights away. I watch him repeat this process with his legs, and then I see him grin.

"Wow, that's a load off…" He says.

I raise my eyebrows.

"Why did you take your training weights off, Naruto?" I ask.

"Why else?" He asks, hopping up and down, gauging how much strength he needs to put into a jump. "I'm gonna spar without em, just to see how much faster I've gotten. You should take yours off too."

I shake my head, still standing in the Gentle Fist stance.

"It will be better training if I am forced to defend myself from your heightened attacks while I am still restrained." I tell him. "It will force me to move faster and to increase my strength, or I won't be able to defend myself."

His eyes go wide at this, taking a step back, having stopped hopping when I refused to remove my weights.

"You sure about that Hinata, I don't want to hurt you…"

I nod.

"I will be fine Naruto, I assure you."

The boy nods reluctantly, dropping into a taijutsu stance.

"Whenever you're ready…" I tell him.

With that, he takes off, his unrestricted speed an amazing improvement. His sheer leg speed is incredible, combined with an increase in both punching speed and power; it's all I can do to defend myself. At first, I see him holding back, intentionally slowing his blows. I use a real Gentle Fist strike, attempting to hit him with my chakra to attack his tenketsu, telling him I don't want him taking it easy. He easily shifts, my palm missing him, though the chakra coils in his left shoulder suffer minor damage. The tenketsu there don't close, so he doesn't feel anything other then a slight stinging before his right hand flies toward me. I react, assuming a defensive stance, relying on my eyes to see around me, trying to anticipate his attacks as much as possible, using martial arts blocks and forms of judo defensive maneuvers to redirect his attacks. These movements, taught to me by my Grandmother as means of self defense without chakra, serve me well during the sparring session. The entire time, I'm on the defensive, repelling his attacks and unable to find an opening before he's out of reach. If I was fighting him for keeps, the tenketsu in his arms and legs would be closed, every time my hands intercept one of his limbs, I'd intentionally grasp near one of the vital parts of the chakra network. However, I don't use the Gentle Fist; with his attacks continuing to come at what I feel is an incredible speed. I don't know how much weight he's increased the special weights in his restraints to, but deep down, I hope that I've added at least half as much weight as he has…

_If he's improved this much since he started using the weights, he's only had a week or two longer then I have. If I've applied nearly as much weight, I'll be much stronger and faster when I take them off…_

Finally, I intercept a punch aimed at my back toward my left ribs, reaching my right arm around my body under my left arm. Once I grasp his right fist, his right leg comes up in a crescent arch, ready to decapitate me. If not for a last moment restraint on his part, his foot would've sent me flying, but instead all I feel is a tap as his foot touches my right cheek, my back still toward him.

Little do I realize that the sparring session has been going on for 15 minutes without a single blow landed by either of us. What I do know is that my muscles in my arms and legs are screaming at me. I feel them burning, telling me I've pushed them far too far too quickly. Through my activated Byakugan, I see Naruto relax, placing his foot on the ground. He steps back, though a moment later I feel my body fall backward, landing on my back with a thud.

"Hinata…!" He yells out, nothing more then a scarred yelp.

I pant heavily, lying on the ground with my arms out, my legs lying limply near each other. The veins around my eyes recede, the Byakugan deactivating. I close my eyes from the pain, finding myself oddly blind without the bloodline limit.

"Are you all right, Hinata?" I hear Naruto ask.

I open my eyes to see the boy kneeling over my left side.

"I'm fine, Naruto…" I tell him.

He looks me over again, concern filling his eyes.

"Why didn't you just take your weights off?" He asks, shaking his head. "It isn't good if you push yourself like that…"

"I'll be fine…" I tell him, the pain beginning to subside.

_One of the only benefits to having that thing inside me…_

I sit up to hear his stomach growl. Naruto quickly puts his hand on his stomach, giving me a grin.

"I wish this place had something like Ichiraku's…" He mutters. "The ration bars and stuff we've been eating leaves a lot to be desired…"

_That reminds me…_

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" I ask the boy, receiving a nod in return.

"Sure, go ahead…" He tells me, smiling though his stomach growls.

"Why do you always eat at Ichiraku's?" I ask. "You're the son of the Fourth Hokage; I know that the Hokage and his family can have their meals prepared for them by members of the village, so why eat ramen all the time?"

At my question, the bright smile on Naruto's face disappears. His eyes drift down, his shoulders slouch, an aura of depression forming around him.

"I don't like being around my dad a lot…" He says slowly, his tone rife with sadness.

Immediately, I feel like an absolute monster for ruining his mood. I want to apologize, to reach out and hug him, comfort him, but I'm the cause of his depression, my question caused these feelings to appear within him…

"Naruto…" I begin, my voice cracking, an apology on my lips when I hear him speak.

"My mom…she's an ANBU that works for my dad…" He tells me. "My dad really loves my mom, and I think deep down he forgets about me sometimes, though he'd never say that to me." He admits. "Before I started eating at Ichiraku's, whenever I ate dinner with my family, I would feel like a burden. They never acted that way, though I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't wanted, like they'd be better if I was never born…"

I see him sniffle at the memories. At this, I forget about any notion of modesty or embarrassment. The only thing that matters to me are the person I like is depressed beyond anything I've ever seen him emote before.

Without thinking, I reach out, wrapping my arms around the boy, pulling him close to me. I feel his warmth when I hold his head against my chest, feeling my own cheeks flush.

"It'll be all right…" I whisper to him. "They would never think of you that way…"

I hear him sniffle, and I hear him begin to sob. I can tell that deep down he doesn't believe what I'm telling him.

Holding him there, he makes no move to move, apparently unable to hold back his own sadness…

_I never knew; he always seemed so happy, so carefree. I never even began to suspect that he felt this way, that he had this sadness inside of him…_

"Hinata…" I hear him whisper, his voice frail, completely unlike the son of the greatest ninja to be born in Konoha.

"It's all right Naruto…" I tell him. "You can let out; you don't have to keep it inside anymore…"

He begins to cry, releasing the pent up emotions he's kept inside since before now. Looking at him weep into my jacket, I remember our free time at the academy, seeing him pursue Sakura Haruno, apparently attracted to girl with a huge forehead. I remember seeing her reject him every time, often hitting him on his head. I think about this, and the fact that she denied him the chance to deal with the pent up emotion, not having even a female friend that he could come to for comfort…

_If I ever meet that pink haired bitch in battle, she'll rue the day…_

After nearly 20 minutes, his sobbing slows. I feel his head pull away, moving my hands to allow him to sit up straight. I can see the stain of tears on his cheeks, though he rubs his eyes on his sleeve. Looking into his eyes, I see confidence in them again, the depression gone from the blue orbs…

I see him blush, looking away from me when he begins to scratch the back of his head.

"Thank you, Hinata…" He says, sounding embarrassed.

I blush myself, pushing my pointer fingers together.

"It's nothing, Naruto…" I tell him. "If you ever need to do that again, don't hesitate to ask." I tell him in a certain voice, though my fingers still press together. "Keeping your emotions bottled up like that isn't good for you, and I'll always listen."

He looks back at me, meeting my gaze this time.

"Thank you Hinata." He says again, bowing. "I'm really glad we were assigned to the same team together…"

I feel my cheeks redden even further.

_He's glad to have me around? No one's ever really appreciated me, other then my grandmother and the Fourth Hokage, but now I don't hold him in nearly as high a regard as I did before…_

I hear a rustle in the bushes behind me, funneling chakra into my eyes, I activate my bloodline limit. The insight fills my mind, looking through the Byakugan; I see my teacher and our third teammate approach the two of us…

Without looking at them, I deactivate my kekkei genkai, half turning toward them.

"So, this is where you two are?" Kurenai asks, putting her right fist against her right hip. "Are you on a date together, taking advantage of your time alone?"

I didn't know I can blush as much as I do at her comment. I risk a glance to Naruto, seeing him shift in embarrassment.

"I believe your comment has made our teammates uncomfortable, sensei." Shino observes.

I see my teacher smile a mischievous grin.

"I know Shino, that's why I asked it." She tells him.

_Why that little…_

"Well…" She begins, changing the subject. "Shino and I finished our patrols of the town, and were just going to get something to eat, you two love birds interested?" Kurenai asks.

For Naruto and I, the change of subject is welcome.

"Absolutely…!" Naruto leaps up, and I nod, standing up as well.

20 minutes later, the four of us sit in a restaurant in the town. The place is lively, with a local sort of atmosphere. The booths are made of wood with cushioned seats, the tables dark and made of wood. The place bustles, though the servers keep up. My attention however is focused on Naruto, sitting next to me, with Kurenai-sensei sitting across from me. Shino sits next to her, quietly examining the menu for the restaurant. My teacher appears to have taken one look at the menu, found what she wanted, then promptly closed her menu.

"Hinata, the woman that you and Naruto earlier today…" She begins without preamble, and I feel depression begin to well up in my stomach. "She was a wanted shinobi in every nation, and listed in my bingo book." She continues, and I feel worse and worse the more she speaks. "Her name was Kanon the Blade, and there was a substantial reward offered by the village for her death." She tells me. "When we return to the village, you'll be rewarded for your hard work…"

I feel my face contort, my teacher trailing off at the change in my expression.

"What's wrong Hinata, you should be happy that you managed to defeat a Chunin level criminal shinobi…"

I shake my head.

"I don't want to be rewarded for killing someone sensei." I tell her. "I'd rather that you said you killed him, I don't care about the reward, or the praise, or anything associated with the deed…"

"Why would you not want people to know you killed that woman?" Naruto asks. "You can make some money, and show people how skilled you are…"

I shake my head.

"I don't want people to know that I killed someone, they already look at me like a monster, and I don't want them having a REAL reason to think that…"

At that, I get up. Without a word I walk out of the restaurant, just wanting to get out of the situation. In spite of my teammates knowing my secret, and knowing that I killed that woman, they don't seem to care. However, the reactions of my teammates will not be mirrored by the people of the village…

_They'll look at me like I'm embracing the demon inside me…_

I don't know why I don't go back to the restaurant, but I just don't feel hungry, and I don't want to think about killing Kanon the Blade…

I find myself on the roof of a building, looking at the moon hanging in the sky. The chill of the night air is nothing that I care to notice, my mind still filled with the memory of the fight, the pleasure at taking her life…

_I killed her, but it wasn't me, was it? I mean, I was filled with the Kyuubi's chakra, and I could feel it influencing me, it had to be the demon inside…_

"Something bothering you?" Naruto's voice comes from the darkness, and I nearly jump to the moon in surprise.

Following the sound of his voice, I see him literally hop up over the side of the building and land on his feet.

"Naruto…" I barely whisper, my heart still pounding in surprise.

"When you ran off like that…well… to say that I was worried is an understatement." He admits to me. "I really thought I might find you about to slit your wrists or something stupid like that."

_He thought I might commit suicide? _

"I'm not going to kill myself Naruto…" I assure him, and he shakes his head in disbelief.

"Just because you killed someone doesn't make you a monster Hinata." Naruto presses. "Kurenai-sensei has killed a lot of people, and she isn't a monster."

"I don't think she killed anyone when she was still a genin."

Naruto shakes his head no.

"Kurenai-sensei was a genin during wartime Hinata." He reminds me. "She killed a lot of people, and has seen a lot of really horrific stuff, but she's better for it. She hasn't let it define who she is."

_Is he saying that I let my situation define who I am?_

"I don't let the fact that I killed that woman define who I am." I argue.

He nods.

"No, but you do allow being the Jinchuriki to define who you are." He counters. "You constantly think of yourself as a monster, even though you aren't."

_He doesn't know what I've been subjected to. The way people treat me just because I unwillingly carry that monster around inside me…_

"I…" I trail off, not knowing what to say to that.

_Partially because he's right. I DO let my being the Jinchuriki define who I am…_

I sigh, closing my eyes and letting most of my sadness and frustration go with the sigh.

"You're right…" I admit. "I have been letting my being the Jinchuriki define who I am." I admit.

"Well, you aren't." Naruto reinforces the idea. "You're a person, you're Hinata, NOT the Jinchuriki."

"I know, thank you Naruto."

He gives me one of his trademarked grins.

"Just remember, and try to change."

"I will." I answer him, meaning every word.

"Well…we should head back." Naruto tells me. "Everyone's waiting, and they're worried about you."

"All right, let's go."

With that, Naruto and I take to the air, heading back toward the hut.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The two of us land in front of the door. I notice him stop; turning toward me before he enters into what has served as our headquarters since we arrived in this town.

"Look Hinata, I can understand if you don't want to talk about what happened, but Kurenai-sensei is really proud of what you did, and would beat the crap out of anyone who would say otherwise." He tells me. "So, if you don't want the money, that's fine.

"Thank you, Naruto…" I say, bowing to him.

I see him smile.

"All right Hinata…" He begins. "You should probably get some rest, though don't do anything stupid again."

I nod.

He opens the door to the building, walking inside just after I do. I see both Shino and Kurenai-sensei inside. I walk to my bed, getting in without a word, though I can feel my teacher's eyes on me. When I lay down on the bed, I feel the blanket on me, a much more heavy weight on my mind.

_I almost let my friends down today, and I never want to do that. From today on, I won't ever let them down…_

The thought stays with me as my eyes drift closed. I hear Naruto start to talk to Kurenai-sensei about what happened tonight. I do hear Shino speaking as well, though I can't make out any words. It isn't until the next morning that I see or hear the repercussions of that entire conversation that night…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I awake the next morning to see my sensei inside the room; both Naruto and Shino are nowhere to be seen. I sit up, a feeling of dread forming in my stomach.

_Oh no, please don't tell me they left because I ran off. Please, don't let them abandon me…_

The curtain pulls back, revealing my teacher standing there. She looks at me a deadly serious expression in her red eyes.

"Hinata, I need to talk to you." She tells me.

I look down, not wanting to see her stern gaze.

"What's wrong Kurenai-sensei, where did Naruto and Shino go?" I ask.

"Both of them left to do our patrols." She tells me. "Though what I want to talk to you about is what Naruto told me after you came in last night."

_So, he told her about our discussion…_

"Naruto told me everything that happened last night…"

I nod.

"No one ever talked to me about killing in the line of duty, and my grandmother is the leader of the clan, so she never had the time to talk to me about it…"

She takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Well then, I think it's about time you got the proper lecture on killing…" She begins.

She proceeds to give me 'the' lecture on killing in the line of duty. She speaks concisely and appropriately, not talking down to me like so many would. She speaks slowly, giving me multiple chances to ask her questions. Once she finishes the 20 minute long speech, I feel as though a weight was lifted off of my shoulders…

"Do you understand now, Hinata?" She asks.

I nod, mumbling an affirmative.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei…"

"As for what Naruto thought you were going to do last night…" She segues into THAT topic. "I want you to know that is a fool's choice, and an honor-less one."

I nod my understanding.

"I know Kurenai-sensei…" I agree with her.

Kurenai nods.

"Suicide is a really serious thing…" She says.

"I…I thought that if the people of the village found out I murdered someone, then they'd only think I'm a demon, and even if I became the leader of the Hyuga clan, they still wouldn't think of me as a person…"

My teacher sighs heavily.

"Hinata, you shouldn't care about what people think about you, when they don't care about you to begin with." She tells me. "The majority of the people in our village look at you like a monster to begin with, so why should you bother thinking about them?" She asks.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know, Kurenai-sensei…" I respond, not knowing how to respond to her question.

"Exactly Hinata…" She begins. "The only people's opinions that should matter to you are those people that care about you." She explains. "From the way you talk, it seems like only Naruto, Shino, me and your grandmother care about you." She explains.

"I understand Kurenai-sensei…" I begin. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know what possessed me to take off like that…"

"Just remember Hinata, you have people that care about you now, and your death will depress them for a long time, is that what you want?"

I shake my head, not wanting to make Naruto or Shino sad or upset because of me…

"Good, now, Naruto tells me that you've been training using restraining weights, is that so?" She asks.

I nod my agreement.

"Yes, Sensei…" I mutter.

She nods approvingly.

"It's a good way to increase both your speed and strength, but it is an outdated form of training." She tells me. "Naruto also told me that he recently sparred against you without his weights, yet you refused to remove yours…"

I nod.

"I thought the weights wouldn't do me any good if I didn't wear them when I was trying to be fast…"

She sighs heavily.

"Hinata, one of the reasons those training weights aren't used as much is because they can cause muscle pulls and damage during a mission, or a simple sparring session." She explains. "If you try and force yourself when you're wearing them, you can injure yourself in the process. It isn't as though we're in the village and have access to doctors that can treat you well and get you the proper medical care…"

I nod, cutting my teacher off.

"I understand sensei." I tell her. "I won't do it again."

I see her smile.

"Good, now show me just how much those weights have helped you to improve." She says.

I raise my eyebrows.

"You want me to spar with you?" I ask, my teacher nodding her agreement.

"Yes, I want to see just how fast you've become Hinata." She tells me. "How much weight are you wearing, by the way?"

I shrug my shoulders, standing up off the bed. I take my time to roll up my sleeves and undo the clasps on the arm weights first. At that, I follow with the leg weights.

"I don't know sensei." I tell her, removing the arm weights while I talk. "I've been using special chakra enhancing weights Naruto gave me, and simply upping the weight whenever they were no longer a problem." I explain, finishing with the second leg weight.

Like I'm sure Naruto felt, I feel like I don't weigh anything with the restraints removed. Looking at her, I hop up and down a few times, throwing mock punches to gauge my speed. Once I feel comfortable, I look to my teacher.

"Will we spar outside, or is there a special place you had in mind?" I ask.

I see my teacher grin.

"We'll spar right here." She tells me. "Combat doesn't always happen in wide open spaces, so you need to learn to fight in close quarters." She tells me. "This gives you a drastic advantage, but I would ask you refrain from using any Gentle Fist blows, like when you spar with Shino and Naruto."

I nod, making the signs to activate my Byakugan. Once the kekkei genkai is activated, I assume a gentle fist stance, ready to spar with my teacher.

"Whenever you're ready, sensei…" I tell her.

She assumes an advanced taijutsu stance, easily able to shift from offense to defense…

"Begin…" She mutters.

I move in close, going in low, I try to send a palm thrust past her arms, toward her chest. She sidesteps, avoiding the blow, cocking her elbow when she does. I see her elbow come around, ready to strike me in the head, but I duck under it. I extend my right leg between her legs. I hook my foot on her left foot and pull, removing one of her feet from beneath her. The Jounin stumbles backward, though she flawlessly executes a backward flip from the loss of balance. I watch her return to her feet, dropping into a low stance. This time she goes on the offensive, throwing a punch and kick combination, one right after the other. Her right hook is easy to duck, though that puts my head at her thigh height. Her left leg readies, cocking to come flying toward me. I jump backward, wanting to only put enough distance between her to avoid her kick. However, I misjudge my increased agility, landing 10 feet away from her when I only wanted to move 4 feet at the most. Her leg extends during my jump, coming back down to the ground a moment after I land on my own feet as well. I see my teacher grimace, making a 'come on' gesture with her right hand. I charge for her, sticking to the Gentle Fist forms so ingrained in my mind by my grandmother. Kurenai on the other hand, did not become a Jounin for nothing, as evidenced when I attack at her using my released speed. My blows are all either deflected or dodged. Of course, were I using the Gentle Fist, the tenketsu in her arms would be attacked with each deflection of my strike, but since I'm not, she probably doesn't feel much of anything. We go back and fourth, parrying and attacking, blocking and countering. I can tell she isn't using chakra to increase her speed, merely just fighting at her normal physical level.

_I'd heard a rumor that some Jounin level ninja become dependent on their chakra to the point where they can't fight without it. I guess Kurenai-sensei doesn't believe in becoming reliant on any ability, or any one power…_

Our flurry of blocks and counters, thrusts and punches continues. Even though I'm not wearing the weights, I can't defend against every one of her attacks, with three of her strikes getting past my defenses to actually land. Fortunately, she holds back wailing on me with her full physical strength. I return the favor, merely clapping my hand to her chest the four times I manage to get a blow through her guard.

After the fourth time I hit her, I see her raise her right hand, telling me to stop.

"Good Hinata, your speed has improved, and the fact that you can maintain that speed for more then a short burst attests to your stamina." She tells me.

I shake my head.

"I never really had a problem with getting tired before…" I tell her. "Even during the most grueling of training under my grandmother, I never seemed to lack chakra or the strength to move."

I see her nod once.

"That's probably due to the Kyuubi being sealed inside of you." She tells me. "The demon's chakra seems to trickle into your own, it would explain how you heal so quickly, and are never exhausted for very long."

I look down at the mention of the Kyuubi, the curse sealed within my body.

"I hate having this thing inside me sensei…" I tell her. "I wish I could just rip it out, or kill it…"

I look up to see my teacher looking at me with solemn eyes.

"I can't begin to understand how you feel, though I can imagine what it's like." She tells me, laying a hand on my left shoulder. "Your father saved our village, your life, my life, Naruto's life, Shino's life, everyone in the village when he sealed the demon in you." She tells me. "What he did gave you a curse, but it's also a blessing to you Hinata." She continues. "The Kyuubi has increased your chakra capacity, and has made you a physical specimen, and is probably what has allowed you to increase the weight in your weights so quickly." She continues. "I doubt Naruto is as fast as you are now, and Shino is nowhere near as quick as you are now…"

"Well, I…" I mutter, not knowing what to say to my teacher.

"Just keep wearing your weights and increase the weight slowly." She tells me. "When the time comes, you can show Naruto just how strong his training method has made you."

I nod. I walk back to my bed, returning the weights to my limbs.

"Let's go out and walk around the town." Kurenai says. "We'll be patrolling, in a sense." She explains.

I nod my agreement.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

For the rest of the day, Kurenai and I walk around the town square. The people here seem to enjoy the presence of the Konoha shinobi. I don't know if our presence here is appreciated or necessary. What I do know is I enjoy the people of this town looking at me with appreciation in their eyes, rather then the scowls of hate the people of Konoha give me.

_If I wasn't a member of the main house of the Hyuga clan, I'd think about running away from the village and staying in a place like this. The people don't look at me like I'm some sort of monster. Though, even if I did leave Konoha, I don't know how I'd be able to fit in anywhere. Wherever I went, they'd want to know why I left Konoha, and then I'd be back where I started. Besides, I AM a member of the Hyuga clan, the main house no less. If I were to even attempt to leave Konoha, I'd at least be branded with the curse mark and shoved into the branch family. Then, grandmother would probably force me to bear a child. Then, I'd be tasked with raising the child to learn everything she taught me. _

I shake my head to clear it, not wanting to think about what might happen if I leave Konoha. I know that I cannot leave the village, either because of my birth status or the demon sealed within me.

When Kurenai and I return to our temporary dwelling, I find both Shino and Naruto have returned from patrols, apparently waiting for the both of us.

"Well, let's go get some food, I'm famished!" Naruto exclaims after Kurenai and I have a moment to settle in.

The Aburame boy pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Perhaps we should ask their preference on what establishment we should visit." Shino suggests, speaking to Naruto.

The boy seems more timid after that, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry…" He mutters.

Kurenai claps her hands, startling the three of us out of our reprieve.

"I take it your rounds went without incident?" She asks; all business.

Both Shino and Naruto nod their agreement.

"We encountered no hostiles within the borders of this town." Shino explains. "Naruto inquired about Kanon the Blade, only to learn that the inhabitants of this town had never seen her before the day in question."

_So, she showed up that day, and then she lost her life…_

Almost as if Kurenai can sense my thoughts spiraling toward the murder again, she speaks up.

"Well, let's get some food." Our teacher says, changing the subject of the conversation. "We could all use a good dinner."

That night, we eat in relaxation, talking with each other and enjoying the friendship that's forming between us. I can't say for Naruto and Shino, but I feel more relaxed around the two of them then I ever have around my grandmother or anyone else. With them knowing my secret and just not caring, I feel like I've found two precious things in my life, and I don't want to lose either of them…

_Especially Naruto…_

I quiet the voice in my mind, reminding myself that I'm on a mission…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The rest of our duty in the border town goes slowly, if not like it should. The end of our guard shift comes rather slowly, but the day it arrives, we're moving quickly. The small building that had been our home had to be cleaned, the patrols still had to be done as well. Kurenai suggests that she and Shino will handle the rounds. While Naruto and I pack the entire team's belongs. As much as I am happy to be alone with the blonde son of the Fourth Hokage, the lack of a real shower along with the strenuous work has made me rather self conscious…

_At least when we get back to the village, I'll be able to get clean again. The poor excuse for a bathroom this place has pales in comparison to the bathroom connected to my bedroom alone…_

I remind myself that the only reason I have that bathroom is because it isn't really MINE, it belongs to the lavender eyed family which I was born into…

The only real challenge for getting packed for the return trip is removing the privacy wall Kurenai sensei put up. Using the tree climbing exercise, we get it done quickly and efficiently. Throughout the entire time we're alone together, Naruto and I work comfortably with very few words exchanged.

It isn't until the door opens, and our relief team arrives that Naruto really begins to talk…

The door opens, the hinges creaking and signaling someone is attempting to enter the building. Both Naruto and I look to see Asuma Sarutobi standing there, his tall figure filling the doorframe.

"Yo Kurenai…!" He yells into the room, expecting our teacher.

It only takes a moment for him to see that the dark haired woman isn't here. It also only takes a moment for me to realize that he must be our relief…

_If he's our relief, then that means his team will be with him…_

"What're you doing Asuma?" Shikamaru's bored voice comes from behind him.

The man mutters an apology, walking inside. His team follows him, the three genin having not changed since we last saw them. They all do wear hiking backpacks like we did, though the backpack seems funny on Ino's small frame.

Seeing them again brings the memories of the restaurant to the surface, though I quickly push the memories out of my mind.

"Shikamaru, Choji, you guys are our relief?" Naruto asks; his voice elated.

The Nara boy nods, his hands resting in his pockets.

"It's a pain, but Asuma thinks we should get out and see the country." He says.

"Oh, how am I gonna survive without a steady supply of pork BBQ…" Choji mutters, rubbing his stomach.

Ino shakes her head, her body language a clear indicator that she doesn't want to be where she is.

"Man, can you two ever act serious, for even five minutes?" The blonde girl asks.

Asuma clears his throat, interrupting the ensuing argument before it begins.

"We're here to relieve you, where is your sensei and the third member of your team?" He asks.

"They're out doing rounds." I respond. "They should return shortly."

Knowing today is the end of our time here, Kurenai and Shino left early to get the patrolling done quickly. Sure enough, 20 minutes after Squad Ten arrives, both Shino and Kurenai return. After a quick exchange of pleasantries and a quick goodbye, the four of us leave the small building as we found it.

Heading back toward the village, part of me is happy that my time away from home is over. While another part of me is depressed, for the exact same reason…

_We're heading back to the village, back to the place where I'm a member of the famed Hyuga clan's main house. Back to the place where the people look at me like I'm a demon and a monster…_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Walking back to Konoha, I can't help but feel agitated at the recent turn my thoughts have taken. It wasn't that bad before I came on this mission, but now that I know what it's like to be treated like a person…

_Can I really return to Konoha? I know I can't leave without causing problems. But what if I persuade Kurenai-sensei to lie, to tell the Hokage that I died in the fight against Kanon the Blade? Then they could just say that they cremated my body and buried me. That would be the end of it, though my death would be looked at as a failure on the part of my team and my teacher. Plus, I'd be all alone again, and that's just the same as I was when I was in the village before I became friends with Naruto and Shino…_

The thought of being alone again twists my face, apparently to the point where Naruto is able to notice.

"Oi, Hinata…" Naruto's voice pulls me from my thoughts.

I look to my right to see my teammate looking at me with a curious expression on his face.

"Yes, Naruto…?" I try not to yelp.

"I was just wondering…" He trails off, scratching the back of his head.

"I believe Naruto wishes to express a concern as to what is causing your recent agitation?" Shino asks.

You'd think I'd get used to him only speaking once in a blue moon, but his sudden foray into the land of human communication still surprised me…

"Yeah, what he said…" Naruto says with a grin on his face.

I can't help but push my pointer fingers together.

"I was just thinking about our return to Konoha…" I answer, barely more then a mutter.

Naruto's eyes go wide at this.

"What about our return?"

"I was thinking about how the people of that town treated me while we were there…"

"Konoha is our home." Shino speaks up, not surprising me this time. "The three of us belong there more then anywhere else."

I nod my agreement.

"I know. I just wish that I could live in a place like that town, where the people don't think of me as a monster or a demon…"

I see my teacher's ears twitch, telling me she's listening intently to the conversation between her three students.

"When I become Hokage, I'll make people think differently of you Hinata." Naruto says with his heart in the right place.

"I don't think you can force people to change like that, Naruto…" I say, pushing my pointer fingers together again. "Not even the Hokage is all powerful…"

Naruto opens his mouth to argue, but Shino speaks up.

"People will only change when they are ready to." He says. "To attempt to force such things would only cause Konoha to change."

I nod.

"Konoha is Konoha because people are free to do and think however they want." I explain. "To change that, and force people under the threat of force would be wrong, and a horrible thing for any leader to do."

"Very well said, Hinata…" Kurenai speaks up. "When people are ready to change, they will see you for what you are, and not what you contain."

I nod.

Naruto seems to take this information and process it, while Shino just nods.

Continuing our trip back to Konoha, I think more about my two teammates, and their situations.

_If you think about it, Shino and Naruto are both outcasts as much as I am. Shino's family uses the bug techniques that make most people's skin crawl. Because of that, people avoid him. Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage, and when people see him, they see his father, and avoid him for fear of his father. With me, I'm the daughter of the Hyuga clan, heir to the family, and container of the Kyuubi No Kitsune. The three of us are all outcasts in some form or another; I guess that's why we work so well together…_

The time passes seemingly much quicker then when we came to the town. Walking back to Konoha, I feel dread begin to form in my stomach. I don't want to go back, but I don't have a choice…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Our trip back to the village goes without incident. It takes 3 days for us to return to the village. When the four of us arrive back in the village, Kurenai-sensei leads us to the Hokage's tower.

Walking through the streets, people look surprised to see me again at first. After the surprise fades, the glare returns. I notice my teacher returning the look with enough anger in her eyes to scare a Jounin. Both Naruto and Shino walk next to me. The two of them try to dispel the looks, but they don't accomplish much.

_Well, welcome back home Hinata. Funny how you were happier AWAY from everything then being here isn't it? Most Genin are happy to return to the village, to be home again. Then again, most Genin have parents, siblings, and family that love them. While you only have your grandmother, and you know she'll be dead soon…_

I shake my head to clear it with the four of us walking up the stairs toward the Hokage's office. Entering into the Hokage's office, the Fourth Hokage sits behind his desk, smiling at the four of us.

"Ah, Kurenai, I see you took care of my boy and his friends…" He says in greeting.

I see Naruto lower his head at his father's words…

_Could he really have THAT distant a relationship with his father? I mean, I know the Hokage is really busy, but he wouldn't intentionally do anything to his own son would he? Even if Naruto's mom is really busy, they both chose to have a child, shouldn't they MAKE time for him?_

"Lord Hokage…" Kurenai begins. "I am here to report on the status of our mission." She explains.

The man nods, sitting up straighter behind his desk. Looking at him, I can see premature wrinkles on his face. His entire body seems to show what being burdened with the responsibility of Hokage can do to a 20 year old man. Even though he's in his 30's now, he looks much older…

I listen with half an ear while Kurenai gives her report to the Hokage. I feel my attention peak when I hear the name 'Kanon the Blade…'

"…she ambushed both Hinata and Naruto while they patrolled together. Both Naruto and Hinata fought the shinobi, however Naruto was incapacitated. Hinata chose to draw on the Kyuubi's chakra to kill her, defending Naruto…" She explains.

I see the Hokage's blue eyes glare at Kurenai. A moment later his fist impacts the table in anger. I see him stand up in anger, glaring daggers at Kurenai.

"Kurenai, I thought…" He begins, stopping to look at the four of us.

I try to look at the man like I'm okay, that they know. Only my teacher speaks up first.

"Lord Hokage, Hinata has already told both Naruto and Shino of her secret, therefore I have not broken your law…"

He looks to me, his expression serious.

"Is this true?" He asks, his tone asking for confirmation.

I nod.

"I helped Naruto to figure it out, and Shino just sort of pieced it together." I explain.

The man nods once, sitting back down at his chair. He clears his throat, and I notice the anger disappear from him.

"You killed Kanon the Blade, in defense of Naruto?" He asks, and I nod.

"It isn't like Naruto didn't try to fight her…" I explain, trying to defend my teammate. "He fought her and would've defeated her, but he couldn't land a powerful enough blow…"

I see the man's expression shift. I see him smile again. He looks toward his son, standing next to me on my left.

"I'll teach you a new technique, one that I created, and only my old teacher knows other then me." He explains to his son. "It's a powerful new technique, and it'll serve you well."

Naruto nods, though I think he'd be happy about being taught a new technique.

"Well, my report is basically finished after the incident with Kanon the Blade, Lord Hokage." Kurenai explains. "Our relief arrived on time, with no other incidents."

The Hokage nods his head once.

"All right, you three are dismissed until tomorrow." He says. "You've done a fine job, and you've earned this time to yourselves." He continues. "Kurenai, please hand out the payments to your students."

The woman nods, taking the five envelopes from the desk. She leads the four of us out of the office holding the envelopes. She leads us into the streets. She stops after four steps, turning around and smiling at her students.

"You three have earned these." She says.

She hands an envelope each to Naruto and Shino. Then, she hands two of the envelopes to me.

"Um, sensei, why do I get two envelopes…?" I ask.

"You get two of them because you killed Kanon the Blade, Hinata." She explains. "One of them will contain your mission payment; the second will contain the bounty."

I drop both envelopes as though they were suddenly covered in acid. Both of them drop to the ground, their seals remaining intact.

"Hinata…" Kurenai mutters.

Naruto kneels down, picking up both of my vouchers. He hands them toward me. I look down at them like they're evil incarnate. I can see blood covering the brown paper of the envelopes, the blood of the woman who I killed…

"Those are yours Hinata, you've earned them…" Kurenai says reassuringly.

I close my eyes and shake my head.

"I really don't need money, you can have them Naruto!" I yell, turning around and taking off.

I don't look back or listen to the blonde boy protest. I just move as quickly as I can AWAY from the envelopes, and the blood money they contain…

_I don't care about getting paid for a mission, but I won't profit from hurting or killing someone…_

Fortunately, the three of them don't follow me. I walk toward the Hyuga home, going from a run to a walk very quickly. I manage to regain my composure when I walk through the main gate. I nod to the guard on duty, who remains stone faced while he stares off into space. I walk toward my room, though when I arrive at the door, I see a servant standing there.

"Lady Hinata, Lady Hibana wishes to speak to you, please report to her chamber." The servant informs me.

I nod, spinning on my heels toward my grandmother's room. I know that my grandmother is used to getting what she wants, and hardly ever asks to speak to anyone within the walls of this house. If you don't come when she calls, you usually suffer for it, either at her hands, or the hands of the branch family…

I find myself at her door. I knock on it, and I hear her voice from the other side.

"Come in, my granddaughter…" Her voice passes through the door.

I nod, opening the door. I walk inside, closing the door behind me. My grandmother sits in her chamber on her bed, her legs together with her body facing me. She wears the white robes of a Hyuga leader. Her hands are on top of each other, her body relaxed.

_She's meditating?_

In the 12 years of my life, I have never known my grandmother to meditate. Usually, she never has the time…

"I take it your mission was a success?" She asks.

I give her a clipped nod.

"Yes, grandmother…" I respond in a neutral tone.

_No matter how much time I spend with her, I can never think of her as anything else other then the family leader. She's been like a surrogate mother to me, but she isn't my mother. She's always been a teacher first, a parent a far second…_

"Give me a report of everything that happened." She demands. "I wish to know of your progress."

I take a breath, preparing to give her as quick a summary as possible for the mission. I start talking, telling her of the uneventful trip to the town. Then I explain about the uneventful time I spent there. I quickly say 'that a Chunin rogue ninja named Kanon attacked Naruto and I. The two of us fought her off, and I was forced to kill her. Afterward Kurenai-sensei and Shino arrived and…' I continue speaking, though she raises her hand. I stop mid sentence, knowing full well what my grandmother wants.

"You fought against a rogue Chunin named Kanon, and killed her?" Hibana Hyuga asks.

I nod.

"Yes, grandmother…" I respond. "Naruto engaged her originally, though he was ensnared in one of her traps. I was distraught, and drew on the Kyuubi's chakra to give me the strength to kill the woman."

My grandmother nods.

"I see, where there any other such encounters during this mission?" She asks, and I shake my head no. "I see…then you may return to your room."

I nod, turning on my heels and leaving the room. Leaving her chamber, I feel a weight leave my shoulders. I walk back to my room, changing my route halfway. I walk to the ornate bathroom that members of the branch house are forbidden to use without the express permission of the clan leader. I take a long bath, soaking in the water. The hot water relaxes me, and getting clean helps me in more ways then one. After I bathe, I return to my room and I lie down, staring up at the ceiling. I think about the way I acted before I ran from my…friends, and I make a mental note to apologize tomorrow…

_I wonder, can you even really maintain a friendship with someone? You wanted this so badly, and now you're more and more likely to screw it up…_

I silence the voice in my head when I hear a knock on my door.

"Lady Hinata…" I recognize on the servant's voices. "A young man has come here, and requests to see you."

I raise my eyebrows at this.

_A young man, for me…?_

"I'll be out in a few minutes." I say through the door.

The servant walks away without another word. I hear his footsteps against the floor fading while I dress. I put on another copy of my standard uniform, having several of the gray jackets in my closet. Once I'm dressed, I leave my room and walk toward the front door. The trip is short, but my mind churns over who would come to speak to me here…

When I arrive at the front door, I get my answer…

Naruto stands at the door wearing his orange jumpsuit. The boy taps his foot impatiently, even the son of the Hokage would not be allowed into the mansion without permission…

"Naruto, what're you doing here?" I ask, feeling myself blush in embarrassment.

His eyes go bright when he sees me, though I see him reach up and scratch the back of his head.

"Well, I wanted to ask you about earlier, why you took off like you did…" He nearly mutters.

I feel my cheeks flush even more.

"I'm sorry I did that…" I apologize, bowing to him. "I just don't like the idea of profiting from hurting someone. I don't want blood money…"

He nods, his gaze falling to the ground.

"I don't know if you're hungry or not, but I'll buy you some dinner if you want…" He offers. "I know it won't be as fancy as the food you get here, but…"

I didn't know I could blush even farther then I already had…

_He's offering to buy me dinner? Is he trying to repay me for what I did on the mission? Or, is he trying to tell me that he doesn't mind that I wigged out the way I did? Or does he just like spending time with me?_

There's a long moment between us. With each passing second of silence, I see his gaze get more and more depressed…

"I guess you already…" He begins, but I cut him off.

"I'd love to eat something with you!" I blurt out, not even realizing what the implications of what I said are.

"Uh, okay…" He mutters, scratching the back of his head.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
10 minutes later I sit on a stool at Ichiraku's Ramen stand. We both place our orders, and I find myself becoming more and more adjusted to the food served here. The man behind the counter seems to love Naruto. He smiles at me with a genuine smile as well.

_I'll have to make a point to eat here more often. I'll have to try and bring grandmother here once. If rumor spreads that the leader of the Hyuga clan liked his ramen, then his business would skyrocket…_

I sit with Naruto on my left, the boy fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Um, Hinata, can I ask you something?" He asks.

I nod, turning my face to look at him.

"What do you want to know, Naruto?"

"Are you still sensitive about what you did to that Kanon woman?" He asks cautiously.

I shake my head no.

"I've come to terms with what I've done Naruto…" I tell him. "I killed her in the line of duty, and she didn't offer me any choice."

Naruto nods.

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you for what you did." He tells me, sincerity in his voice. "If you hadn't done what you did, I wouldn't be sitting here, buying you dinner…"

I feel my heart begin to sink at his words.

_Then, he's only doing this because he feels he owes me…?_

"Um, you don't have to pay for my food, Naruto…" I tell him. "I can pay for my own, and you don't owe me anything for what happened on the mission?"

I see him gain a look of surprise.

"You think I'm buying tonight because of what happened on the mission?" He asks.

I nod.

"Well, that's not the reason I'm doing this, but you can rationalize it like that if you want…"

I feel myself blush again. I look down toward the counter. I feel my pointer fingers push together under the counter.

"Naruto, um…what kinds of girls do you like?" I ask.

"What kinds of girls do I like?" He asks.

I nod.

He opens his mouth to answer, but another voice breaks into the conversation.

"So, here you two are, getting all cozy with the heir to the Hyuga clan Naruto?" I hear Kiba's voice.

Both of our heads spin, and I see Squad 7 walking down the street. The three of them look like they've been through a meat grinder. Sasuke and Kiba appear to be the worst of the three, with cuts all over their arms, legs and face. Akamaru rests against Kiba's chest, though the dog looks relatively uninjured…

Sakura has a bandage wrapped around her upper left arm, and I see her favoring it.

_What happened to them?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Time and Place

(Well, I officially have a beta reader now, Lil Ramen Lover is the one you can credit for this sounding better. Anyway, he's got 6 and will hopefully have it done in a few days. He thinks this chapter is good, and I hope you all feel the same. Keep the reviews coming, especially since this is betaed now…)

Chapter 5: Time and Place

The three of them sit down next to Naruto, putting the blonde boy between Kiba Inuzuka and myself. Sakura sits between Kiba and Sasuke causing the dark-haired boy to be the farthest from me.

"We just did an A ranked mission!" Kiba gloats, grinning while Akamaru yips twice.

"What?" Naruto demands, his head spinning around. "I thought dad sent you three on a C rank mission?"

Kiba keeps grinning as he speaks.

"He did, but while on the way we encountered these two Chunin guys called the Demon brothers." He explains. "Sasuke and I handled em, so I didn't see what the big deal was." He continues. "Then, we encountered this eyebrow-less guy named Zabuza, some sort of Jounin from the Hidden Mist village." Kiba explains. "Kakashi took him out with his Sharingan, and then this kid showed up." He pauses, as though thinking of the best way to tell his tale. "The kid looked like a tracker, and even said he was. He made Zabuza look dead and then took Zabuza's body away to dispose of it. We didn't realize until later that the two of them were working together. Kakashi passed out from using his Sharingan, so we carried him until he woke up." He continues to explain. "After that, we got to the land of waves, while Tazuna told us he lied about what kind of protection he needed because his country couldn't afford a higher ranked mission. Kakashi decided we should stay around until they finished building this bridge, though Zabuza was employed by this gangster Gato." He pauses again. "Both Zabuza and the kid attacked us again, and the kid did the majority of the fighting. He got Sasuke and me in this weirdo ice mirror jutsu, while Kakashi took care of Zabuza. Kakashi nailed Zabuza with this lightning jutsu, though the kid leapt in front of it. The kid died, and then Zabuza had a change of heart when Gato showed up. Zabuza attacked using a single kunai, tore the hell out of Gato's men, and ended up killing Gato before he died himself."

"After that, we came back here…" Sakura speaks up. "They finished their bridge, and even named it after Kiba and Sasuke, the Inu-chiha Bridge…"

"What happened to you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks, and I bite my lip, remembering how he used to pursue her. Deep down, I hope that his flame for her is gone…

"This…" She mutters, looking down at her upper left arm. "Zabuza tried to attack Tazuna, and I was in the way. He nearly cleaved my arm off, though Kakashi knew some medical techniques that really saved my arm…"

The girl winces at the memory.

"Oh…" Naruto says with a reflective tone.

I want to 'accidentally' spill my ramen on me, or do something to get Naruto's attention, but I know to do something stupid like that would get me a long scolding from my grandmother.

"What have you three been up to, and where's that bug guy?" Sakura asks.

"That 'bug guy's' name is Shino, and he's home…" I finally speak up, my tone offended. "We just got back from our own C rank mission, and Naruto and I were going to eat together…"

I reach into my pocket, withdrawing some money; I throw it on the counter. I don't even count it, only knowing that more then enough money is there for my meal. I get up without a word, walking away from the stand. My teammate's protests overpowering Squad 7's remarks.

"Jeez, crawled up HER butt?" I hear Kiba ask.

"Shut it, dog boy!" I hear Naruto snap at him. "Hinata, wait a second!"

I don't know how long or how far I walk, and I barely listen to Naruto's concerned questions. I fume, breathing heavily, feeling insulted by the girl who so cavalierly turned Naruto down every time he asked her out.

_It took everything I had not to hit her…_

Finally, I stop, the blonde haired boy having fallen in next to me. He stops a step and a half after I do, and I raise my gaze to meet his. I see a look of concern on his face, telling me he wants to know what's wrong…

_You left her behind because I got up like I did, Naruto…_

"I'm sorry, Naruto…" I finally manage to speak. "I shouldn't have acted that way toward them, but…" I mutter, not knowing what I want to say.

I see him shake his head.

"It's more then what Sakura-chan said, isn't it?"

I nod, feeling my hands clench.

"I saw you pursue her at the academy, Naruto…" I tell him, dropping my gaze. "I saw the way you kept coming back to her, even though she sometimes hit you during her rejections of you…" I explain. "After what you told me about your home life, I feel anger toward her that she would deny you even a female friend, someone that you could talk to about things that you don't want to talk about with your male friends…"

"Well…you're my friend, aren't you Hinata?" He asks, and I feel tears beginning to form at his response.

_He considers me his friend?_

I look up, and I nod slowly.

"If you would have someone like me, for a friend…"

I see his left eyebrow rise in questioning.

"Why wouldn't I want you for a friend, Hinata?" He asks.

"Well, I…" I mutter.

"You're a good person, you're strong, and you're smart." He tells me. "I feel like you'll listen when I need to talk to someone, isn't that what friends do for each other? Didn't you say that you would be there if I needed you to?"

I nod without thinking.

"I will not break my word to you, Naruto…" I tell him in no uncertain terms. "I know what it is like to feel lost and alone, to be ignored for no reason…"

"Exactly…" He responds with a happy grin. "I didn't really like the way Sakura talked about Shino anyway, and my ramen was mostly done, so I'll walk you home, unless you want to do something else?"

I shake my head.

"Thank you…" I say, bowing to him.

_For more then you know…_

"But, I should go home." I tell him. "Grandmother will be worried, and we have to meet Kurenai-sensei tomorrow."

The boy nods.

With that, I start walking home. The blonde son of the Fourth Hokage walks next to me, and I feel tempted to reach out and take his hand, or to move closer to him, but I don't. I don't know how he feels about me, and I don't want to ruin what relationship we have…

_Even if he still carries a torch for Sakura, even if we're never more then friends, I don't think I could stand losing him…_

When we arrive back at the front gate to my home, he says good night. I return the farewell, telling him I'll see him in the morning. With that, I walk inside the Hyuga home, and I see Naruto start off toward his home, an air of depression beginning to form around him.

I'm inside the house before I think to call out to him, but then I decide against it. Even if I were to call out to him, what would I say? Grandmother would NEVER approve of me offering to allow the boy to sleep in one of our home's many unused bedrooms, and she wouldn't allow me to return with him to his home for the night. I just go to my room, changing into my pajamas and falling into bed.

The next morning, I awake to the sound of my alarm clock. I get up, yawning before I change into my uniform for the day. I go through the motions of getting ready for the morning, packing 4 bento lunches for the day ahead. Once I'm fully prepared, thermos and all, I leave the Hyuga home, heading toward Training ground 8.

On the way to the training ground, I increase the weight in my weights slightly, since I've adjusted to the load since the last time. I remember my sparring session with Kurenai when she told me I was fast, though I know I have to get faster.

I get to the training ground 20 minutes early, and instead of Kurenai-sensei, I see Naruto standing alone. He wears his orange jump suit, fidgeting in the middle of the training ground. Upon seeing me, I see his face light up.

"Morning, Hinata…" He waves to me.

"Good morning, Naruto…" I respond while walking toward him. "You're early this morning; usually you and Shino are normally on time…"

He shrugs.

"Eh, I woke up early, so I figured I'd get ready and come here." He tells me.

It's only then that I notice the bags underneath his eyes.

"Um, you have bags under your eyes; did you even sleep that much last night?"

I see the boy look down, the air around him shifting.

"Not really…" He mutters. "Mom and Dad were gone when I got home, and I stayed up waiting for them…"

I feel my heart sink at his statement.

"Naruto…" I hear my voice crack.

"They stayed out all night, I guess mom is off on a mission, and dad is busy with business…" He mutters, sounding depressed.

I wanted to hug him, to comforted him and tell him it's okay, but…

"Um, I'm sure your parents are both fine, and I don't think your dad is going to send your mother off on a mission that she's likely not to come back from…"

He breathes a long sigh.

"I just…I just wish that they were there when I got home, is that wrong?" He asks.

I shake my head no.

"I'm sure they would be there if they could, but they probably think that since you're a ninja now, you can take care of yourself…"

"Or maybe they just don't care anymore…" He mutters.

I shake my head.

"No, that isn't true." I tell him matter of factly. "Your father cares greatly for you. I see it in his eyes whenever we go to get a mission from him." I tell him. "I've never met your mother, but I don't think Lord Hokage would have an uncaring woman as his wife…"

He looks at me, and I can tell that he wants to believe what I say.

"You mean that, Hinata?" He asks.

I nod.

"Absolutely…"

With that, I see him wrap his arms around me, hugging me. I feel my cheeks flush, and I hear him whisper.

"Thank you, Hinata…" His voice is barely audible in my ears.

He opens his arms and moves back. I can see tears on the edge of his eyes, like he's ready to cry…

_Naruto…_

I take my backpack off, unzipping the top. I rummage through it, looking for something.

I hear him sniffle.

"Hinata…?" He asks.

I find the small container within my backpack and grab it. Pulling my right arm out, I set my bag down on the ground, handing Naruto the small white container. He looks at it, and then to me.

"What's this Hinata?" He asks.

"It's a vanishing cream. You can use it to hide the bags under your eyes." I tell him. "Grandmother tells me to carry some around incase something happens. As a Hyuga heir, I can't have any visual defects or imperfections…"

He nods, taking the cream from my hands.

"I've never used anything like this before…" He mutters, looking down at the small container. "How do I use it?"

"You just open the container, put some on your finger, and wipe it over the area you want to conceal." I tell him.

He manages to unscrew the top, and then he looks at the peach colored liquid inside.

"Um…" He mutters, looking to me.

I see the plea for help in his eyes.

"Do you think you could put it on?" He asks, sounding embarrassed. "I mean, I didn't look in the mirror this morning, and I don't have one here…"

I nod, swallowing the saliva in my throat.

"A…all right…" I manage.

I move close to him, dabbing my right pointer and middle fingers in the cream. I raise my hand up, touching the skin discolored by his lack of sleep.

"That feels weird…" He mutters.

I try not to blush, though I feel my cheeks reddening at being close to him, at touching his face no less!

_Keep calm, just stay calm. If this looks bad, then he'll never forgive you for it…_

The thought sobers my hand, and I apply the vanishing cream without a problem. When I'm done, the bags are gone, concealed and Naruto appears as though nothing is wrong.

"There…" I mutter, stepping back, breathing a sigh of relief at the space between us. "The bags are gone, so long as you don't rub under your eyes."

He nods, capping the container and handing it to me again. I take it from him, putting it back in my bag and closing my backpack before I return it to my back.

"That stuff will wash off with soap and water, though it's made of natural herbs and plants, so it isn't going to harm your skin." I explain to him.

He nods, bowing to me.

"Thank you Hinata." He says.

5 minutes later, Kurenai-sensei arrives, followed closely by Shino. Once the four of us are assembled, Kurenai leads us to the tower. During the trip I notice Naruto smile, and when he looks at me I see the boy grin.

We get another D rank mission from the Hokage; apparently the Daimyo's wife's cat has gotten free again…

This time, the retrieval goes much faster and smoother then before. Shino placed a female bug on the cat's collar in case of another incident like this the first time we had to retrieve the animal. This time, we find and corral the cat, getting into its cage without any real trouble. We head back to the tower, cat in carrier in hand.

Getting back at the tower, we return the animal much to its own chagrin. The cat howls while the woman fawns over it, paying the man for the mission. With that, the Hokage gives us another mission. This one is a delivery of herbs because the local herbalist recently broke his left foot. Kurenai and I remain in the shop, helping the owner to clean, while Naruto and Shino make the deliveries. I notice the man look at me the same way other villagers' do, only to get a menacing stare from Kurenai. The man quickly finds an excuse to go upstairs, telling us to continue cleaning and not break or steal anything.

Once he's upstairs, I see my Jounin sigh heavily.

We both hold brooms, sweeping the entire interior of the herb shop as the last cleaning chore that needs to be done.

"I'd really like to take this broom stick and…" My teacher begins.

"I don't pay it any attention, Kurenai-sensei." I tell her. "I haven't done anything wrong, and that's what matters, isn't it?" I ask.

The woman nods, though I see her bite her lip.

"I just don't want this ignorant ass to say you stole something after we leave." She tells me angrily.

I've never heard my teacher curse before this moment…

"You're here, and you can vouch for me, so it will be his word against ours."

She nods, though I can tell she's still troubled by the thought.

Fortunately, Kurenai and I finish cleaning the store around the time Naruto and Shino return from their deliveries. Kurenai calls to the man, having a brief discussion with him before we leave his shop, our mission completed.

The second D rank mission of our day took a lot longer then the first, though the first took only an hour to actually chase the cat down, the second took nearly 2 hours with travel. After the hour-long lunch, we continue the second mission. Now, it's close to 6 o clock in the afternoon when the four of us finish the mission and make our way back to the tower.

"Hey, Hinata…" Naruto whispers to me, his voice so low I can barely hear it. "Can I ask you something?"

I nod, trying to keep the motion short and barely visible.

"Well, I wanted to ask you what you think about mom and dad…" He whispers.

"What I think you should do about your parents?" I ask, not understanding the question.

"I mean…" He begins. "I don't think it should go on like it has between us…"

"Have you tried talking to them?" I ask.

He shakes his head no.

"They're always really busy, and it seems like they hardly have time for each other anymore…"

I shake my head.

"Naruto, you're their son, and I'm sure they care about you, but you have to communicate that." I tell him. "If you don't talk to them, they won't think anything's wrong."

He nods, though I can tell from the motion that he's mulling over what I've said.

I don't know if Shino or Kurenai-sensei listened to our conversation, though it was hard to keep the discussion between us.

Walking back to the tower, the glares do not change, though Kurenai shoots an expression back to the people, it doesn't stop them from staring and leering at the container for the demon that nearly annihilated their home. Even with Naruto and Shino standing next to me, it is obvious that the looks of hatred and animosity are directed toward ME, not either of them.

We arrive at the tower with Kurenai leading the four of us into the Hokage's office. Walking past one of the Chunin guards, I barely hear him mutter the words 'damnable demon.' With Naruto on my left, the boy was in a much better position to hear the guard mutter to himself then either Shino or Kurenai-sensei. Before I can open my mouth to tell him to stop, I see Naruto's left fist connect with the Chunin's jaw, enough force behind the punch to knock the 20 year old Chunin off his feet.

True to his word to me, I see the Chunin's lip begin to swell.

"Hey!" The other guard yells.

Naruto is on top of the guard he hit, grabbing the man by the collar with his right hand. I can feel the restrained anger coming off of him in waves, while he glares into the guard's eyes.

"You won't talk about her like that, you hear me?" The boy demands. He raises his left fist to strike the guard again.

"NARUTO NAMIKAZE!" I hear the Fourth's voice boom through the door into the hallway, the hairs standing on the back of my neck at the ninja leader's shout.

The anger in the blonde genin disappears, his head spinning toward his father.

"Get in here, now…" The Fourth Hokage seethes.

Naruto nods, walking into the office while the ninja leader motions for Kurenai, Shino and me to follow his son into his office. The ninja leader gets up, walking around his desk, and closes the door, placing a seal on the door, ensuring privacy. The Fourth Hokage turns around, looking at the four of us, though Kurenai stands behind us, I see the blue eyes of the ninja leader set on his son.

"Naruto, explain yourself, IMMEDIATELY…" The Fourth does not yell, though the emphasis is enough to make me want to shrink away from him.

I don't know how Naruto must feel.

"He called Hinata a demon dad, and I swore to her that no one was gonna say that about her again, not without getting a fat lip." He tells his father. "It isn't right that he talks like that, and he broke the law YOU decreed…"

The ninja leader crosses his arms, looking up toward his teacher.

"What do you think of this, Kurenai, you are his teacher…?" He says.

I look to see the preverbal gears turning in my teacher's mind. For a long moment, she is silent before she speaks.

"I personally agree with what your son did, Lord Hokage." Kurenai tell him.

The Fourth looks taken aback a moment, and then the expression vanishes.

"You do understand that he struck one of my Chunin, without provocation…"

"Naruto had plenty of provocation." Kurenai retorts. "Your guard obviously broke your decree; he referenced the demon within Hinata loud enough that another person could hear. I believe YOUR decree says Naruto had every right to kill him, as the nearest knowledgeable person?"

The Fourth looks down at me, and I feel a sudden desire to sink into the floor. Though, the anger in his eyes is gone. I see him look back to his son.

"Naruto, do you consider Hinata your friend?" He asks, his son nodding, not meeting his father's eyes.

I see the Fourth Hokage's eyes move to my right, looking at the Aburame boy.

"And you, Shino Aburame, do you consider Hinata your friend, and what my son did to my guard a logical action?"

The Aburame boy pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"While the inherent logic in Naruto's argument of his justification of striking your guard is laughable, I do agree with it." He responds. "Hinata is someone I consider a friend, and I find it both illogical and disturbing that people treat her way they do, based solely on a fact that she bears no control over."

Then, I see the Fourth Hokage smile, his eyes lighting up, showing where Naruto gets it.

"I'm glad to hear that, from both of you." He says, and then I see him look to me.

"Do you consider these two your friends, Hinata Hyuga?"

I look left and right, seeing Shino look at me behind his sunglasses, with Naruto looking at me, looking for my answer.

I nod.

"Yes, Lord Hokage, I do."

The Village leader nods.

"I' m very glad to hear that you've been able to find 2 points of light in the dark sky, Hinata." He says, bowing to me.

The man walks around us, sitting behind his desk.

"I will have that man removed from my guard detail, and a new Chunin selected." He tells us all. "He did not indirectly violate my decree, so I cannot do much more then that, though what he suffered at my son's hands should leave a lasting impression."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage…" Kurenai says to her leader.

The man nods, looking the four of us over again. I see him smile at the four of us, his mind changing gears.

"Have you already completed your second mission?" He asks, giving a broad smile, showing once again his resemblance to his son.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kurenai says, the mood changing. "We completed the mission, and I suggest that herbalist is reprimanded for any accusations he levels toward Hinata in the future." Kurenai tells him.

I see the Fourth Hokage shift his head to the side.

"Did something happen, Kurenai?" The ninja leader asks her subordinate.

She shakes her head no.

"Nothing happened this time, Lord Hokage." She explains. "But, I have done research, and I've seen that crimes whose perpetrators were never caught have often been blamed on Hinata." She says. "Because of that, I feel as though this herbalist may decide to 'lose' some expensive stock, and claim Hinata stole it, only to be reimbursed from the slush fund created to compensate those who wrongly accuse Hinata of stealing or damaging their property."

My eyes widen at what my teacher just accused many people in this village of doing, at the…conspiracy she's hinting at…

"I've seen you've done your research, Kurenai…" The Fourth says, shaking his head. "I know full well about the fund established, but I cannot do anything about it." He explains. "I have tried on multiple occasions to have the fund closed and to have the funds redistributed to other more worthwhile uses, but alas, the council will not have it." He tells us all. "Whenever I attempt to have the fund closed, members of the council argue that without it, how will honest people manage to survive and do business if they get robbed by the demon? I try to argue, to explain that Hinata is not the demon, only a prison for it, but they will not hear me." He explains, shaking his head wirily.

"Lord Hokage…" Kurenai mutters, surprise evident in her voice.

I look to my right, seeing Shino standing there, unemotional as usual, though I see him push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Hmm…" I barely hear him mutter.

I look left to see Naruto looking at his father, his right fist clenched and shaking. I look to the Hokage, and I see his face set in an expression of apology.

"I am sorry that you had to hear all of this, Hinata." Minato Namikaze says, bowing his head. "You have bore so much because of the Kyuubi; I didn't want you further burdened by this knowledge…" He apologizes.

"I believe that you are wrong, Lord Hokage." Kurenai says with her tone completely even. "Now that Hinata is aware of things that happen around her, she can understand them; rather then simply feel the effects of them." My teacher explains. "Now that she is aware of this fund, and it's…questionable uses in the past, she can understand how she gained a reputation among the villagers, in spite of having done nothing to any of them."

The Hokage looks at me, and I nod.

"I do appreciate knowing about this, Lord Hokage, and I thank you for trying to protect me from it." I tell him. "I realize you only had my best interests in mind, and I bare you no ill will because of it."

His shoulders seem to slump, and I see him lean back into his chair. I watch him look up to the ceiling a moment, and then his eyes slowly drift down, taking in the four of us.

"I will take your recommendation into advisement, and try to see that it is treated fairly, though I can guarantee nothing." He says, returning to the original subject that brought this entire conversation up.

Kurenai nods.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Kurenai says, bowing to the man.

He makes a hand sign, dispelling the seal that protects the room from outside listening. She turns on her heels, leading the four of us out of the room, though Naruto doesn't follow.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" I ask, noticing the boy remaining in the Hokage's office.

"Kurenai-sensei, are we done for the day?" Naruto asks, his teacher nodding.

"Yes, Naruto, we are done with missions and training for today, tomorrow we will meet like usual." She explains.

He nods.

"Good, then I'd like to speak to Lord… I mean, my father, if you have no problem with that?" He asks.

I look back to my teacher, and I plead with my eyes, knowing that Naruto is taking my advice, and doing what I told him to do, the only way he knows he can…

Kurenai nods her agreement.

"It is fine by me, though I suggest you make your discussion quick, your father is a busy man." She says.

_Good luck, Naruto…_

She motions for Shino and me to follow, the guard Naruto struck nowhere to be seen now. I imagine they toted him off to the hospital to have his lip looked at. Kurenai closes the door, allowing the father and son to talk in a somewhat private environment. I look to my teacher, and I see her smile.

"You two should both go home, we'll have another day ahead of us tomorrow, and it's starting to get late." She tells us.

I check the watch on my left wrist, and I see it's nearly 7:30 in the afternoon. I follow my teacher out of the tower and into the streets. I say my farewell to Shino and my teacher. In the back of my mind I hope that Naruto has a good heart to heart talk with his father.

Before I can leave to return to the Hyuga home, Kurenai speaks up.

"Hinata, wait a moment, if you would…" She says.

Shino stops to look, though Kurenai seems to predict his movement.

"I just wish to talk to Hinata, Shino." She says without looking at the boy. "It's nothing serious or important."

The Aburame boy nods toward her, and then repeats the motion toward me.

"I will see you tomorrow, Shino." I tell him.

He actually waves to me, and then walks away. I watch the Aburame boy walk into the street, the people parting to allow him to pass. Though I'd never met them, I imagine that the other Aburame must get the same treatment…

I look to my teacher to see her cross her arms.

"You wanted to speak with me, sensei?" I ask.

She mumbles an affirmative.

"Naruto said something in Lord Hokage's office, and I meant to ask you about it." She tells me.

"What is it, sensei?" I ask.

"Naruto said that he swore to you that no one would call you a demon again, not past a fat lip, can you explain that?"

I nod. I explain to my teacher about what Naruto said when I revealed my being the Jinchuriki to him. My teacher remains quiet, though I see her quietly absorb the information.

"I see…" She responds.

I look down a moment and then back up to my teacher.

"Is something the matter, Kurenai-sensei?" I ask. "Did Naruto do something wrong?"

She shakes her head.

"No, he didn't do anything wrong, though I imagine he plans on the three of you remaining together for quite some time." She says.

I can't imagine that I can have a more puzzled expression on her face.

"What do you mean, Kurenai-sensei?"

She exhales a deep sigh.

"I spoke to the Fourth Hokage about Naruto, and he told me that Naruto told him that Naruto had a nindo, or ninja way that he's adopted." Kurenai explains. "This nindo is that he won't run from a challenge, and he won't go back on his word." She continues. "Since he says he never goes back on his word, and he told you that he wouldn't let anyone call you a demon, he must mean for the two of you to be together for a long time…"

I feel myself blush at the thought.

"Well, all things considered I'd say that means at least you've got a life long friend in Naruto." She tells me. "If things go well between you, it might come to more then that…"

I press my pointer fingers together in embarrassment.

"Well, I don't want to lose Naruto as a friend Kurenai, even if it means that we're never more then friends…"

I see my teacher shake her head.

"Hinata, if you want to be with him, then you need to pursue him." She advises me. "I heard from his father that he had a crush on that Haruno girl assigned to Squad 7." She tells me. "You're lucky that he was assigned to be with you, you can use that to your advantage and spend time with him. If you're lucky, he'll forget about the big browed girl and start to want more of a relationship with you…"

I nod.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei. This discussion has been most…informative."

"Think about what I've said Hinata, and take it to heart."

I turn away from my teacher, looking toward my home. I head back toward the Hyuga mansion, wanting nothing more then a hot meal and a nice long bath…

_Can I really try and pursue a relationship with him, when I don't even know how he feels about me?_

My thoughts churn on that subject the entire night…

That night in my dream, I see Naruto standing in the distance. I see him half turn toward me. I open my mouth to yell out to him, but I feel my voice go silent. I see a form appear behind him. The form takes a human shape, entering into the darkness to be that of Sakura Haruno. I watch Naruto turn toward the girl, and I see him blush. I see the pink haired Kunoichi smile, putting her knees together nervously. She acts like she does when she's around Sasuke Uchiha…

I try to scream, to get Naruto's attention, to tell the Haruno girl to leave him alone, but my voice will not come to me. I try to run toward them, only to see her extend her right hand. I watch in horror while Naruto reaches out, accepting her hand. Then both of them put their back to me. I watch both of them walk away from me, walking hand in hand. I run toward them, trying in vain to call out, to stop him from leaving me. I watch the two of them walking together, gaining more and more distance away from me…

_Please Naruto, don't leave me…_

I watch the two of them disappear into the darkness, Sakura Haruno taking Naruto away from me. Once I'm alone again, I fall to my knees, feeling tears begin to form in my eyes. I sob, and then I hear voices. I look up to see eyes appear in the darkness, looking at me with the expression that I get from so many people, the glare of pure hatred, as though they reject my very being…

I hear their voices, muttering to each other and behind my back, whispering about the fact that I'm evil, that I'm a monster. They whisper that I don't deserve anyone, that I don't deserve friends or family…

_No, no…_

The thought repeats in my head over and over again, while the voices seem to get louder and louder. I clasp my hands over my ears, trying to blot out the voices. The more I try, the louder the voices boom into my ears…

_NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

My eyes pop open, and I sit up, my breathing short and quick. I feel the softness of my blankets against my pajamas. I sigh when I realize that I'm in my bedroom, and that I only had a bad dream…

I can feel the sweat covering my forehead. I quickly throw the blanket off of me, kicking what's left of the covers away from my body. I get up off the bed, feeling somewhat better after relieving some of stress at making my bed a mess. I walk to the window. My room is dark except for the moonlight gently shining in through the window. I know the room like the back of my hand, so I dodge the small amount of furniture on my way to the window. I look out through the window, seeing the moon hanging pale in the sky. I look at the moon for a long time, my thoughts remaining on the disturbing nightmare…

_Why would I dream that? Is my sub conscious trying to tell me that I need to pursue Naruto, or I risk him falling for Sakura? That's impossible though, she doesn't see anyone else other then Sasuke…_

_Keep telling yourself that, whatever lets you sleep better at night..._a small voice whispers in my mind. I don't know if it's the Kyuubi's influence or something else all together.

Looking out the window, at the starry night sky, and the village beneath it, I can't help but wonder.

_Would Sakura Haruno fall for him, if she got to know him? If Lord Hokage had assigned him to her squad instead of mine, would the two of them develop a relationship that I would be envious of?_

I shake my head to clear it. I look back to my bed, and I can't see myself sleeping anytime soon. Rather, I get dressed, putting on a clean version of my normal clothes, folding up my pajamas and other bed robes and setting them aside.

I open the door to my bedroom a crack, the hinge barely audible in the still night air. I peek out through the door, straining my ears to listen for any signs that someone may be out in the halls. I don't hear anything, so I cautiously open the door farther, my head creeping out into the hallway. I look left, and then right and I see no one. I quietly step into the hall, closing the door ever so gently that it barely makes a noise.

_Grandmother will be asleep by now. At least I can say that she does that regularly, and never stays up late…_

I creep through the halls of my own home, feeling like a burglar in someone else's house. I know I could easily activate my bloodline, though using it would be easier, it would make the challenge of sneaking out in the middle of the night that much easier. Plus, the Byakugan can see chakra. If I suppress my chakra flow, it will be harder for one of the branch family members standing watch to see me moving through the house. I somehow manage to make it to the front gate. I slip into my shoes and start off into the night, with no real destination in mind.

I stick to the rooftops, going from rooftop to rooftop. I'm glad for the chance to burn some of the energy that having the nightmare has given me…

_If I ever have a mission where I need to stay up all night, all I need to do is just have a bad dream, and you couldn't pay me to go to bed…_

Thinking about the dream again, my thoughts once again return to the subject the dream focused on…

_Naruto…what do you think of me? I know you want me on your team, but how do you FEEL about me? Can you see us as more then friends or teammates? Or, is my relationship with you now the best I can do…_

_Oh, I don't want to lose you Naruto, but I don't want us just to be friends… What am I gonna do? I want to ask you how you feel, but if I do, and you tell me that you're in love with someone else…_

I feel a pain in my chest at the thought, the thought of him passing me by for anyone…

I can feel a change in the air. I land on the next rooftop, stopping and looking around. I notice that I've moved toward the center of the village, near the residence of the Hokage and his family. Outside the building, I know there are ANBU members stationed whenever the Hokage or his family is in the building, protecting the village leader from all threats.

I activate my Byakugan without the signs. I feel the insight of the dojutsu like a veil being lifted from my eyes. I see several ANBU members, animal masks and all stationed around the building. All of them have a concealing genjutsu wrapping their bodies. The nearest one, a woman wearing a fox mask with brown hair looks at me from behind the mask. I can see her body tense, as though I might try and attack either the ninja leader or his family.

I nod toward the woman, stepping back away from building. I watch her relax her posture when I take to the air, heading away from the Hokage's home.

I don't know what possess me to go to training ground number 8, the one that has become the normal meeting point for our Squad 8. I see movement in the training ground ahead, and my training takes over. I go to ground and move about, concealing myself behind a tree.

_What would someone be doing at our training ground this late? _

I look around the tree to see Naruto standing in the middle of the training ground. He stands in a peculiar way, with his hands in a vertical position, as though he was holding an imaginary ball by the top and bottom, though nothing is in his hands…

_What is he doing? Is he sleepwalking? Why isn't he wearing his headband?_

I use the signs to activate my kekkei genkai again. Using its insight, I see Naruto is in fact not sleepwalking. I can see chakra flowing through his arms and into his hands.

_What is he doing with his chakra? What in the world?_

All around him I see spiral shaped gouges into the ground and trees. I don't remember seeing them that morning, which means they've been made since we were last here…

I get an explanation for his presence when his hands begin to move. I see chakra flow through his arms and out of his fingers. I see him try to mold the chakra, moving his hands like he's rubbing a ball to try and form the chakra into a ball. I watch the chakra form and take shape, appearing to even my unaided eye.

_What kind of technique is that?_

I watch him run forward, yelling out while he holds the spinning ball in both hands. He removes his right hand and jabs the sphere into the tree with his left. I watch the chakra gouge into the tree, and then disappear, creating rotational tears in the tree…

"Damnit…!" He swears. His legs wobble before he falls backward.

He lands on his bottom. He winces in pain at the impact, though makes no other outward sign of pain. I see him breathing heavily, a sign of physical exhaustion. He looks down at his hands, and I see scuff marks on them. He has a look in his eyes, a look of desperation while he stares at his hands.

"How is it possible…?" He mutters.

I move closer, wanting to just reveal myself and talk to him…

_If I do that, then he'll ask why I'm out this late, and I can't lie to him. If I tell him about that dream, then…_

He falls backward. His back hits the ground with his arms spread open. He looks up at the sky, his breathing slowing. I notice through the Byakugan that his chakra is low, as though he's been using it for something.

_He must be out here practicing…_

"I guess I'll have to pick this up, tomorrow…" He mutters, closing his eyes.

I watch through the Byakugan, seeing his muscles relax and his heart rate slow. Looking at him, I see him gently slip into a peaceful sleep. Looking at the boy, I feel a smile appear on my face, and I can't explain why…

_I can't leave him out here like this. If people found out, then some people might try and harm him while he's out here alone…_

I know I could return to the Hokage manor, tell one of the ANBU members there and bring them back here. But, I shake my head at the thought.

_What kind of friend can't help one of their friends when they need it?_

No, I decide on another course of action instead.

_It'll be good training…_

I decrease the chakra in my restraints down to their minimum weight while I approach the sleeping boy. I gently pick him up and put him into a piggyback position on my back. At first, carrying the slightly larger boy is a problem, but I allow a small amount of chakra to strengthen me. I carefully pick him up, making sure not to wake him.

Once I'm sure he's on my back, I start walking back toward the Hokage's home. I know the ANBU will be suspicious of me, walking to their home at such a late hour, but with Naruto on my back, they'll understand my intentions.

I stay on ground level, walking slowly back toward the village, so as not to disturb my passenger. His head rests against my back, and I lean forward to keep him from falling backward. His arms are loosely hung over my shoulders and crossed. I suppress the urge to blush, the boy I care so much about so close to me. Fortunately, it's very late, with relatively no one in the streets. I see a few drunks leaning against buildings, not paying attention to anyone other then the task of urinating on the chosen building.

When I get close to the building, before I feel the change in the air, I hear a woman's voice call out.

"NARUTO…!" The woman's voice sounds like that of a distressed mother.

Ahead of me, I see a woman round a corner, appearing in the street. She has long, vibrant red hair, and is amazingly beautiful. She wears a dark blouse and a matching dress with dark loafers on her feet. Her form is slender, though right now she possesses an air of intense anxiety. Her stomach moves up and down quickly, her red eyes spotting me in the middle of the street.

Immediately, I see relief flood her mind, filling the air around her.

The beautiful red haired woman approaches me, tears at the edges of her eyes.

"There you are…" I hear her mutter, recognizing the distressed woman who yelled his name earlier.

The look she gives the resting Naruto is a loving one, one I can't imagine comes from anyone other then a mother…

_This woman, she must be…_

I remember Naruto saying that his mom is an ANBU shinobi who is really busy, but does get home late.

"Um…" I speak up quietly, not wanting to wake the boy on my back.

Her gaze shifts to me, and I see her smile.

"You found my son, thank you…" She says, bowing to me.

"Um, you're Naruto's mother, aren't you?" I ask.

I see her nod, smiling at me.

"Yes, my name is Kushina, and I'm Naruto's momma." She says. "You must be Hinata Hyuga, if you speak of my son in such a friendly manner?"

I nod. My unmarked forehead a dead giveaway to my status in the main house of the Hyuga clan…

"Yes ma'am…" I answer her, addressing her with a respectful tone.

I see her face contort at this.

"Why are you talking to me like that, am I an old woman or something?" The woman asks, her tone suggesting she took offense to my addressing her as 'ma'am.'

I shake my head, taking a half step back away from her, wondering how Naruto can sleep through all of this…

"I didn't mean to imply you're old, I only wished to be respectful!" I nearly yelp. "You're the wife of Lord Hokage, and you're also very beautiful…"

I don't know what makes me add my opinion of her appearance, but I look up to see her expression has softened. In fact, I see her smiling.

"All right then…" She says, extending her arms toward me. "Give Naruto here and I'll take him home."

I hear the boy murmur something in his sleep, his body shifting against mine.

"Um, I REALLY don't want to wake him, so if you could just lead me back to your home, I'll carry him…"

The woman looks at me for a moment. In her eyes I see her analyzing me, as though she was thinking about my statement, and what I mean by it. A moment later, she nods.

"All right…" She says with a smile. "Follow me…"

She turns around and starts back toward the Hokage's home. I'm glad that the woman didn't make me return her son to her, though for several reasons…

_Even though I'm carrying him like this, I still feel my heart beating really fast, and I feel really happy…_

So far, this burden of my slumbering teammate is the only burden I don't mind bearing, of all the others that have been pushed onto me over the years.

I force the thoughts out of my mind whilst I follow Naruto's mother. The woman walks with a grace that I only see in my grandmother, perhaps some form of training kunoichi used to go through before my generation…

_Or maybe the others were all taught how to act like a lady after their shinobi lessons at the academy? Grandmother always wanted me home so she could teach me the secrets to our family. Did I miss learning how to move with grace and beauty like Kushina and my grandmother do? Or is it something you learn when you get older…_

When she and I get close to the Hokage's manor; I notice shimmers appearing on the rooftops, though I can barely see the shimmers in the night light. I know the shimmers are members of ANBU using genjutsu to conceal their presence.

_No doubt they're watching me for any sign of harming Kushina or her son…_

The woman looks back to me, and then up to the rooftops around us.

"Don't worry about them." She tells me, looking forward. "They won't bother us as long as I'm with you. My husband just worries too much, and he always has a squad of them to follow me when I'm not on duty."

"I see…" I respond.

She leads me into through the front door of the Hokage's home. I manage to kick my shoes off before I follow her into the house. Looking at the decorations, the home rivals the Hyuga house in terms of décor. Although this house possesses no such hostile atmosphere as the Hyuga house does.

She leads me to a bedroom, opening the door for me. I carry the blonde boy inside, getting a look at this bedroom, without him even knowing it.

The room is decorated like many people my age decorate their spaces. I see posters hanging on the wall of various manga characters in action poses. I see a twin sized bed, unmade and messy looking. The floor is relatively clean, though there are pieces of paper here and there. Nothing is on the floor which is a relief because I don't want to hurt my feet or trip so I lead him to the bed. While I set him down, I glance at his dresser, seeing a reversible jumpsuit hanging on it, looking like it was thrown there in a hurry. Kushina follows me into the room, helping me to put her son on his bed. The two of us gently place Naruto Namikaze in his bed, and I watch while Kushina pulls up the blankets, covering him with them. I see her kiss her son on his exposed forehead lovingly.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto…" Kushina whispers to her son.

I watch her stand up, turning toward me. She motions silently for the two of us to leave the room, and I nod. I follow her out of the room and through the hallways, heading back the way we came. She stops at the door, and I slip my feet into my sandals. Kushina watches me the entire time.

"Thank you for bringing Naruto back." The woman says, bowing to me. "His father taught him a new technique, and Naruto's been trying to learn to use it himself." She explains. "He's had a rather hard time with it…"

I nod my agreement.

"I found him at one of the training grounds…" I admit. "I couldn't sleep, and I don't know what drew me there." I tell her. "I saw him trying to create a ball of chakra in his hands, but he never seemed to get it right."

The woman nods.

"I appreciate you doing all of this, though I won't ask what a member of the Hyuga Main House is doing up at this late hour." She says.

"Thank you…" I bow my head to her. "Though, I would ask you a favor…"

I see the woman's eye peek at this.

"You want me to do you a favor?" She asks.

"Yes…" I begin, feeling like I'm about to make a mistake. "Please, make time for Naruto…" I ask her, bowing to the woman.

I look to see a confused expression on her face.

"What are you talking about?" The woman demands in curiosity.

_Well, in for a Ryo, in for a million Ryo…_

"Naruto told me that both you and Lord Hokage are really busy now, and you three hardly spend time together, as a family." I tell her. "It has really hurt him, to know that he has a family, but never having that family around. I think deep down, he feels as though you think he isn't worth your time…"

I see her expression form into a scowl.

"You think that's true?" She asks, and I shake my head.

"I don't think you hate Naruto, after what I've seen, I know you love him, but I think he needs to see those expressions of your affection…" I tell her. "I never had a mother, or a father, so I don't know what it's like to have a family at all, but I'd imagine it would hurt if I had it, and then it was taken away from me…" I tell the woman. "Please, excuse me."

I bow and leave the house, closing the door behind me. I notice while I slide the door closed that Kushina now looks deep in thought, as though my words reached her, and had their intended impact.

_I'm sorry Naruto, but I couldn't just stand idly by and ignore the way you feel…_

The next morning, a servant's voice pulls me from my slumber. I open my eyes with a yawn, rubbing the sleep away. I sit up, light filtering into my room through the closed shades.

"Lady Hinata…" I hear the servant's voice from behind my door. "Are you awake?"

I blink several times, clearing my eyes before I answer.

"Yes, I am awake…" I speak loudly enough for the servant to hear me.

"You have guests waiting for you at the front door, what should I tell them?"

_Guests, what time is it?_

I look to the clock on my dresser. I see it says 7:30 in the morning.

_I would've woken up soon anyway…_

"I'll be ready in 20 minutes, please tell him to wait." I say.

"As you wish, Lady Hinata…"

The servant walks off, and I get out of my bed. I get dressed, throwing off my pajamas and dressing myself. My alarm goes off near the beginning of my routine, so I simply turn it off, to wait until tomorrow morning. I dress in my normal uniform, making sure that my hair is brushed and presentable. Once I'm done, I tie my headband around my neck, letting it rest on my chest. I forgo the backpack, instead walking toward the front door, and my apparently multiple guests.

When I arrive at the door, I'm glad I took the extra time to look presentable…

Naruto, along with BOTH his mother and father stand there, patiently waiting for me. I immediately feel foolish, for making the Hokage and his family wait at the door…

"Good morning, Hinata-chan…" Kushina says with a smile.

The Hokage himself grins, and I see Naruto with a bright beaming smile. I don't think I've ever seen the boy happier then at this moment…

I can't help but look like a deer in headlights.

"What..." I begin, looking at the three of them, temporarily losing my voice.

I feel my cheeks flush while I stand there. I feel myself push my pointer fingers together.

"What…are you three doing here, at this hour?" I finally find my voice again.

"We wanted to get to know our son's teammates a little better, so we decided that the four of us could go out to breakfast together." The Hokage says, grinning like I see his son do all the time.

_Go out to breakfast, with the three of them?_

"But, what about Shino…" I manage to ask.

"We'll see him tomorrow, Naruto wanted to us to formally meet you first." The Hokage says, rubbing his son's hair, mussing it.

The boy cringes away from his father, looking up at him with an annoyed, but happy look.

"Dad…" He mutters, the smile never leaving his face while his hands go to work on his head.

Seeing them before me, with Naruto so happy, I can't help but feel tears run down my cheek.

"Hinata…?" I hear him mutter.

I sniffle, wiping my eyes with my jacket sleeve.

_Thank you Kami; thank you that it worked…_

"Is something wrong, Lady Hyuga?" I hear Minato Namikaze ask, referring to me formally, rather then with my name.

I look up at the Hokage, and I shake my head, smiling at them.

"No, everything's fine, I just had something in my eye…" I lie.

I smile, and I mean the expression, though tears still reside in the edges of my eyes.

"You like this place, Ichiraku, don't you Naruto?" Kushina asks, and I feel relief at her changing the subject. Her son nods enthusiastically at her question.

"Yeah mom, they've got the best ramen there!" He says, smiling while he gives a thumb up.

I see the woman shake her head slowly.

"Okay then…" She says, the smile returning to her face. "How about we go eat there?"

I don't think I've seen Naruto smile bigger.

"Really…?" He asks, sounding as though it's too good to be true, and his mother nods. "ALL RIGHT…!" He yells out enthusiastically, jumping into the air with his right hand extended.

I look at his parents, seeing Kushina smile at her son. Minato on the other hand shakes his head slowly, though he smiles the entire time. I see him suppress a chuckle at his son's enthusiastic way of showing approval.

All the while, a single thought creeps into the back of my mind…

_Is this what it means to be a family?_

10 minutes later, the four of us sit at Ichiraku's ramen stand. The old man behind the counter recognizes his favorite customer and his teammate, but when Minato and Kushina take their seats…

"Naruto, are these two your mother and father?" The old man asks, while Naruto grins.

"Yep, Mom, Dad, this is Teuchi, he and Ayame run this place." Naruto explains.

Both the Hokage and his wife bow their heads to the man.

"I am under the impression that my son has spent a lot of time here…" Minato begins. "I apologize for that, and I thank you for looking after my son…"

This time the old man blushes, quickly going to begin cutting his noodles.

"Um, I really wouldn't say that, but thank you…" The old man says his back to the Hokage.

Ayame walks up from behind the counter, handing out breakfast menus to the four early morning guests. I can tell that she recognizes Minato, and most of the villagers know Kushina, since she is his wife…

Opening the menu, I see that the breakfast menu isn't just ramen, and they also have other foods as well. The main draw is the ramen after the breakfast period. I think about the short walk from my home to this stand. I barely detect the presence of ANBU ninja, following us the entire time and doing an excellent job of masking their presence. The streets aren't that crowded, though people that pass by recognize the Fourth Hokage, some saying hello, others just bowing their respect. People don't even look at me, instead they look at the ninja leader, muttering praise and asking each other if it is in fact him. I find it a little strange that the blonde man's presence completely overshadows my own, and a voice whispers in the back of my head.

_The people know of his decree, they could just be avoiding you while he's around because they don't want to even begin to violate it…_

"Would you folks like something to drink?" Ayame asks. "Our Jasmine tea is particularly satisfying in the morning."

"I'll have a cup of that…" Kushina says, her husband nodding.

"I'll try it as well." He says.

Ayame looks to Naruto and me, and I swallow the saliva in my mouth.

"I'd just like some Green tea please." I ask.

Ayame nods, looking toward Naruto.

"I'll take the usual…" He tells the server.

She nods, smiling at the four of us.

"That'll be right up…" She says.

She disappears into the back, and I feel a sigh of relief escape my lips. I sit on Naruto's left, with Kushina on his right, Minato next to her. Since Naruto is closest to me, he is able to hear me exhale the sigh.

"Is something wrong Hinata?" He asks, looking concerned.

I notice out of the corner of my eye that both of his parent's eyes shift toward me, though their heads don't turn.

"No…" I shake my head.

_I can't just tell him that I'm glad that Kushina understood what I meant when I brought him in last night…_

"Okay…well, um…" Naruto begins. "Do you know how I got home last night?" He asks.

I feel my hair nearly stand on end, every muscle in my body tightening, as though ice was just shoved own my back.

I feel my cheeks flush, my entire face beginning to turn red.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" I ask, trying not to blush, and not succeeding.

I look to see Kushina with a sly smirk on her face. The Fourth Hokage next to her grins.

"Well, it's just I remember that I passed out last night at training ground 8." He tells me. "But, this morning I woke up in my bedroom. While I slept, I could've sworn that I smelled that shampoo you use on your hair when we're on missions…" He says. "Then, when I asked mom and dad about it, they told me to ask you…"

I look up to see Kushina still has that same sly smirk. The Hokage's grin has spread, making him look like he's enjoying this play unfold before him.

_Why those sly little, they planned this!_

"Um…I…um…" I mutter, fumbling over my own words.

_Get it together! Just tell him you found him at the training ground and carried him home. There's nothing he can infer from that, nothing at all…_

"I found you last night at the training ground Naruto…" I tell him. "I saw you pass out, and when you looked like you were asleep, I just figured I'd carry you home."

I see his eyes go wide.

"You carried ME home, in spite of the training weights you're wearing?"

I shake my head.

"I reduced the weight, and I cheated, a little…"

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" He asks a moment after I finish speaking.

At this, I do blush.

_He's concerned about me…_

I feel my pointer fingers press together.

"No…" I manage to get out, shaking my head.

"That's good…" He mutters, and I see his cheeks flush. "I wouldn't want your grandmother coming after me because you hurt yourself helping me…"

That moment, Ayame chooses to emerge with the drinks, setting them down in front of each of us.

"Here you go…" She says, handing out our respective refreshments. "Do you all know what you'd like?"

We all speak our responses. Ayame takes our breakfast order, giving it to Teuchi and going into the back again.

_At least she helped to break the mood…_

"I've heard from my husband that Kurenai has been having you three do a lot of missions, is that right Hinata?" Kushina asks me.

I nod.

"Yes, we've been doing a lot of d rank missions…" I respond.

"Mini (pronounced Me-ne) told me that there was some trouble on the C rank mission he gave you…" Naruto's mother continues. "He said that you protected Naruto and killed a rogue kunoichi who threatened you both."

I nod my agreement.

"Yes, I found a reserve of strength I didn't know I had…" I explain, not totally lying, and not wanting to bring up the Kyuubi in the middle of the street.

I see her arm reach around past her son and pat me on the back.

"You've helped out Naruto twice now, and we haven't done anything to try and repay the favor…" She says, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout.

"I was only doing my duty…" I try to argue.

I hear the Fourth Hokage chuckle, as though I just got in over my head.

"You could say that for the mission, but you carried Naruto all the way back to our house from the training grounds on your own." She says. "Certainly you could've gotten an ANBU member to follow you to do that, or could've had one of your family servants come to the training ground and carry him for you. Yet, you chose to carry him yourself…"

"Naruto and I are friends…" I defend myself. "What kind of friend would leave a friend lying on the ground alone, away from home?"

I take a drink of my tea, letting the liquid wet my throat when Kushina speaks up.

"You found a good one Naruto, you should marry her!" Kushina says.

Poor Ayame chooses that moment to emerge from the back of stand, only to get TWO mouthfuls of liquid involuntarily spat at her…

_Oh no…_


	6. Chapter 6: Making Headway

Chapter 6: Making Headway

(Well, this is chapter 6, and is probably the last one for about two weeks, because my Beta is going on vacation. If someone else wants to pick up the slack, I've got 7 done and waiting to be put through a fine tooth comb. Some gave me reviews, and I appreciate them. Keep them coming. I appreciate your kind words, and I do know of Team 8, and even made some changes to this chapter so it doesn't look like similar. I hope you enjoy, Shino gets screen time in this one, it's hard to keep the balance between three people when you're using first person, but I try.)

Chapter 6: Making Headway

After we finish eating the meal at Ichiraku's, I gracefully and politely took my leave of the Namikaze family. I set off back to the Hyuga home, cursing that I allowed myself to remain with them for too long.

_I won't have time to make lunch if I don't hurry. I doubt I'll have time now…_

Fortunately I don't stink, since I took a bath after I brought Naruto home last night... I hurry home, nodding to the branch family member guarding the front gate. I don't take long to slip off my shoes and head into the kitchen, but I see my backpack sitting on the table with a small folded piece of paper attached to it.

_What is this?_

Picking up the paper, I unfold it to see it written in my grandmother's handwriting…

_Hinata, I know you usually make food for you and your comrades in the mornings. I saw the Fourth and his family when they arrived this morning, and judging from your conversation, I made these 4 bentos for you. I know you usually take tea with you, so I made that for you as well. Tell me what your teammates think of my cooking, though if you listened when I taught you, I doubt they'll even notice. Hibana._

The note is signed with a smiley face, and I smile at my grandmother. Normally, she's so busy with the family that she's unable to do anything like this…

_I guess today is different. Well, a lot of things happened today that haven't happened before…_

_Well, no point in standing around._

I put the backpack on, then head toward the front door. I leave the Hyuga mansion and head toward training ground 8. Even with Grandmother Hibana's (would she call her grandmother or at least Grandmother Hibana?) help, I won't be as early as I usually am. I head to the training ground with all my available speed, still wearing the restraining weights Naruto gave me.

_I could lower the weight in the weights, but that'd be cheating. I'm wearing these so I'll get faster, and when I really need it, then I take them off…_

I get to the training ground, seeing the others are all there waiting for me. I land near them, bowing my head to them in apology.

"I'm sorry everyone…" I say, walking to the three of them. "Something happened this morning, and it threw a kink into my morning routine." I admit.

I look around to see Kurenai-sensei smiling. Naruto seems to have a truly happy air about him. While Shino is his usual, even level self.

"Naruto told us about the surprise you got this morning Hinata. He also told us that you brought him from here all the way back to his house."

I nod, putting my fingers together.

"Yes, I did…" I admit, my voice sounding hollow.

I look around the training ground, seeing the marks of Naruto's training still fresh on the soil…

_He really tried so hard, can I say the same?_

"Well, today I'm going to teach the three of you about genjutsu." Kurenai says, breaking with the norm, and pulling my attention to her. "Hinata, since your Byakugan can see through almost any illusion, this isn't really as important to you as it is to Shino and Naruto. However, you should still listen." She tells me.

I nod.

Kurenai sits each of us down, finding a small log to sit on for herself. She starts her lecture, using examples of well-known shinobi battles, both defeats and victories for Konoha, where genjutsu played a major role. She asks us about how the opposing team feeling the genjutsu could've seen through the illusion, or how the illusion could be better formed to prevent the enemy from seeing through it.

It's during this session that I learn Shino possesses a great amount of tactical knowledge. He discusses how movements of illusionary forces in one battle could've been better simulated, thus scarring the enemy and convincing them they're real.

Naruto on the other hand uses common answers to the problems presented to him, and I try to add when I can.

It's a productive session, even if there is little to no physical training involved. Kurenai bridges from the lecture on genjutsu to a lecture on battlefield tactics, explaining that proper genjutsu use can make or break a fight between two forces of Shinobi. Once again, the woman draws on historical references for the base material of the lecture. Because of this, the Aburame boy speaks more then usual, apparently a history buff in his spare time.

_Well, that's one thing I didn't know about Shino…_

After nearly three hours of discussion, Kurenai calls for a break.

"I've been lecturing you three for the last 3 hours. I think it's time we took a break." She tells us three of us.

I can see Naruto eye my backpack resting next to me. For a moment I think I see him quiver in anticipation.

"Did you make your usual lunch, or did you not have enough time this morning?" Kurenai asks.

I shake my head.

"I have a lunch, though I can't guarantee the taste…" I say, opening the backpack.

I hand out the lunches, with each of my teammates and my teacher. I divide out the lunch between them, giving them each a cup of tea. They take the food, and with a shared Itadakimasu, the four of us chow down. The food my grandmother cooked is good, though I constantly gauge all of their reactions. They finish their meals without a complaint, though I can tell something is different to them…

"Hinata, did you really make this?" Naruto asks, his tone somewhat disappointed.

I shake my head no.

"My grandmother made it for me this morning, since I went to breakfast with you and your family Naruto I didn't have the time."

He hands the empty bento back to me. Kurenai and Shino mimic him. Both of them have cleaned up their food and have finished drinking their portions of tea, returning the disposable cups to me. I return the supplies to my backpack.

"My grandmother made these. I didn't mean to imply that I did make them…" I admit.

Naruto grins.

"Well, that's good, because your bento are a lot better then your grandmother's…"

For a moment, I'm speechless.

_He thinks I can cook better then my grandmother, who TAUGHT me?_

"This sustenance does lack a certain quality that your homemade food doesn't." Shino says. "While I have no real complaints against the taste, your meals do possess a certain flavor…"

"I have to agree, Hinata…" Kurenai says. "While your grandmother's cooking is good, it doesn't compare to the food you cook."

"I…" I mutter, feeling tears of happiness on the edge of my eyes.

_They actually think I'm a good cook, better then my grandmother. No one has ever complimented me like that…_

"Look Hinata, I know that you aren't used to taking compliments, but both mom and dad really like you." Naruto tells me. "They told me that you didn't hand me off to my mom, because you didn't want to wake me up." He says. "If you wanted, you could've handed me off to my mom, and I wouldn't have woken up. I'm a really heavy sleeper…"

I push my pointer fingers together.

"I didn't know, Naruto, so I didn't want to risk waking you, after you trained so hard…" (Actually, she kind of does because last chapter she mentions how she wonders how he could sleep through all this noise.)

"Well…" He begins, scratching the back of his head. "I just wanted to say thank you, and mom and dad both think you're a really good person…"

I look to see my teacher smiling, either at me or my teammate's comment, I don't know.

"To be praised by the Hokage is a rare honor Hinata…" She says.

Even with the 3 hour lecture, Kurenai still has us do a D rank mission, just to keep our skills up. We have to assist with construction of a new building in the village. All the four of us really do is help move supplies and assist the workers, though Naruto's shadow clones make the work much easier. We work at the construction sight for 4 hours before we're dismissed, our task only to help the workers for half a day. During the half a day, a lot of work is done on the project, putting the building well ahead of schedule.

Kurenai dismisses us then, saying she has a Jounin meeting to attend, and that we're all done for the day.

The three of us walk away from the tower, having not split up for some reason…

"Um…" Naruto begins, scratching the back of his head. "I know that it's kinda sudden, but would you two consider having an informal dinner with my parents tonight, like what we did with Hinata's grandmother?"

_This is sudden. I thought his parents were really busy. Could it be that they both took my advice to heart?_

"I will need to advise my family of the change in plans, Naruto." Shino points out.

I nod.

"I'll have to tell my grandmother as well…"

I see the boy grin.

"Perfect!" He says with a smile. "I'll go home and tell mom what's going on. Do you both know the way?"

The location of the Hokage's home is common knowledge, even to most of the civilians in the village.

"I do, Naruto…" I answer.

"I am well aware of the location of your home, Naruto." Shino explains.

"Good…" The boy says, turning toward the street. "I'll see you guys in about a half an hour, all right? Don't dress up!" He tells us.

He takes off down the street, running at near full tilt. He leaves both Shino and I alone. I look to the Aburame boy, seeing him push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I believe it would be prudent for us to notify our families, and then make our way toward the Hokage's residence."

I nod my agreement.

Both Shino and I separate then. I assume the kikai ninja heads toward his home, while I head toward the Hyuga mansion. The trip back goes quickly, though I move with a spring to my step. I scour the house, finding my grandmother miraculously in her room.

"Grandmother…" I begin. "I have been invited to dinner with the Namikaze family, so I will not be eating dinner here tonight."

My grandmother nods.

"I understand Hinata, please be careful that you do not embarrass our family in front of Lord Hokage." She gently reminds me.

I nod.

"Yes, Grandmother, I understand."

_If Naruto hadn't told me not to dress up, I'd go change into a kimono and look like I'm going to a formal dinner…_

I move through the home, leaving the Hyuga mansion with my business concluded. I move through the streets, and I think about what Naruto would say if he saw me wearing one of the formal, 'nice' kimonos that I have in my closet. I haven't worn one since I began my last year at the academy, though grandmother makes sure that all of them still fit…

_You never know when a dignitary from another country may visit, and as the main house of the Hyuga clan, it is important that we appear at whatever dinner they attend. Our family is one of the most prodigious families in Konoha. If we didn't attend those dinners, it would cause us to lose face…_

Walking toward Naruto's home, I think about what I might look like if I get dressed up for him. I think about how I would look, wearing make up and wearing a beautiful dress kimono…

_If I were to do that, then maybe he might think of me as someone he could get involved with…_

Once again, I think about Naruto and the dream that I had involving the pink haired kunoichi. I find myself scowling at the thought, remembering how the large browed girl just took Naruto and his attention away from me…

_It was only a dream. It won't really happen. Naruto isn't the type to just fawn over her if she walked up to him and asked him out._

_Keep telling yourself that…_I hear the inner voice speak to me.

I see Shino walking toward the Hokage's home. I move next to the Aburame boy, and I see him push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. The boy says nothing while I walk next to him. I notice that he has his hands resting in his pockets. Though the boy is my friend, fully aware of my secret, I still feel somewhat uncomfortable around the kikai ninja.

"Um, what do you think Naruto's family will serve at dinner tonight?" I ask, trying to make conversation with the boy.

"I am not aware of Kushina Uzumaki's heritage or place of birth. However, the Namikaze family has been within Konoha for several generations now. As such, I would assume the cooking would be local cuisine." He explains.

I can't help but look at my teammate in surprise.

"You researched that much about Naruto's family?" I ask in disbelief.

"The Hokage is a prominent member of this village." He responds. "Knowledge of both him, and the people he chooses to associate with can be valuable, should the situation call for it…"

_I never knew Naruto's mom came from another village. Or well, I don't know where she came from. I know that the Fourth Hokage was born here into a family that wasn't known before he became the Hokage. Now, the Namikaze bloodline is looked at as superior, and a standout because of the incredible ninja the Yellow Flash is. Even though he was wounded in the battle against the fox, it was his sealing technique that he created that allowed my father to seal the Kyuubi inside my body…_

_Cursing me since the day I was born…_I hear a voice whisper in my head.

I shake my head to clear it of the negative thought.

_I can't think like that, I have friends now. And, I'm going to eat dinner with the Hokage and his wife, and his son. How many people can claim that they've done that? Maybe the people of the village hate me, but the Hokage thinks I'm a hero. Doesn't being thought of as a hero by the most powerful ninja in the village count for something? I mean, he's a hero himself, isn't he?_

_Keep telling yourself that…_I hear the same voice whisper in the back of my mind.

I try to ignore the voice, though quiet as it was, I can hear it louder then the last word Shino spoke to me…

"Hinata, something troubles you…" I hear the kikai ninja's voice, breaking my away from my disturbing thoughts.

I blink several times in rapid succession.

"Um, I was just thinking about what you said and the Fourth Hokage…"

Even behind the sunglasses, I can see the bug ninja doesn't believe what I tell him.

_Am I actually learning to read him?_

"Hinata, I cannot imagine a scenario when thoughts of such things would cause such turbulence to you." He explains. "In the short time since I spoke of the Hokage's heritage, your facial expression has changed 4 times, and your eyes have moved around, looking in every direction without focus." He explains, telling me how I've been acting. "What REALLY troubles you?"

I let out a long sigh, looking down at the ground.

"I was thinking that I was cursed by my father, and it was the Fourth's technique that allowed him to seal 'it' inside me." I tell him. "If it wasn't for the Fourth's technique…" I begin.

"Then the Kyuubi No Kitsune would have obliterated our village, murdered you, me, Naruto, the Fourth Hokage, your father, and everyone that resided here." Shino explains.

"I know that, it's just, sometimes…"

"You wish to change things, that you were never the Jinchuriki?" The boy asks.

I nod.

Fortunately, the closer we get to the Hokage's manor, the less traffic on the streets. No one hears both Shino and I talking to each other, especially since we keep our voices down.

"Have you thought such a scenario out in your mind, Hinata?" He asks.

I shake my head no.

"I never really thought about it, how different things would be if my dad was still around, and grandmother was able to retire…"

_She'd probably be dead now if it wasn't for me. She'd old as it is, and when her son died, it was as though she lost the will to live. I remember she started to act more…human once she began training me. It's like she saw in me a reason for her to keep on living, and she's been fighting ever since…_

"Things would be drastically different, if for example, the Fourth Hokage died fighting against the Kitsune, with Kushina standing beside him." Shino explains. "Naruto would be an orphan, raised by complete strangers, with a completely different attitude toward life." He continues. "Furthermore, had Naruto been the one the seal was enacted upon, with neither of his parents surviving, the people of the village would probably have had him killed." He tells me. "At least with you, you possessed the protection of the Hyuga clan, preventing a public execution of you in outcry against the demon."

I nod, absorbing the information the boy feeds me slowly.

_Would I really want someone else to have to go through what I've gone through?_

The thought of the boy growing up without his family, without a home, makes my stomach churn. I feel an intense disgust at my own greed…

_How can I only think of myself, when my actions can so affect others?_

I know deep down that I cannot change my status as the container which holds the Kyuubi No Kitsune, and my wishing is just the idle dreaming of a child…

_Your grandmother would be ashamed of you, you know that right? All your life, she has told you the Kyuubi is a gift to you from your father. She's told you over and over again that this 'gift' has given you a chakra capacity rivaling most Jounin. Yet, in spite of ALL that, you still wish that it wasn't you, that someone else had to bear the burden of this monster. You don't deserve Naruto's affection…_

The last thought is like a cold grip around my heart.

_Did I really just think that?_

"We have arrived at our destination." Shino says, pulling me from my thoughts.

I look to see that we're both standing in front of the Hokage's home. The front door opens and Naruto is standing in the doorway.

"You guys are right on time, come on in!" He invites us with a grin.

Shino enters the home first, and I remember my previous time here. Slipping my shoes off, Naruto leads us to a sitting room, adorned with a large TV and U shaped sofa. The sofa seems centered around the television, though I can hardly estimate how big the screen is on the display.

"Sorry, but Mom's still got a little left to do before dinner's ready." Naruto says. "You guys want anything, something to drink?" He asks, trying to be a good host.

"I require no libation…" Shino says.

I press my fingers together, avoiding my blonde teammate's eyes.

"Some tea, please…" I begin. "…If you have it…" I quickly add, showing my insecurity.

"Um, okay…" Naruto says, his voice showing curiosity. "I'll go get that, feel free to take a seat, you wanna watch anything?" The boy asks.

I shake my head, with Shino performing the same action, though hardly as noticeable as my motion.

"Okay…" He says, turning around. "I'll be back with your tea in sec, okay Hina-chan?"

He leaves the room at that. I feel my cheeks turn bright red at what he called me. My fingers somehow start pressing together. I can feel my other teammate's eyes on me, even through the sunglasses.

"Hinata, is what Naruto called you somehow offensive or rude?" Shino asks a strange sort of calm to his voice, a call for reason almost.

I shake my head no.

"No…" I answer, with the capillaries in my face still wide open.

What he says next nearly knocks me off my feet.

"You possess a strong emotional infatuation with our teammate." He says in a matter of fact tone.

I look at him, feeling my blush begin to deepen, though I don't know how.

"Um…I don't…" I try to argue, though the calm kikai ninja shakes his head.

"It is blatantly obvious that you possess a strong emotional attachment to Naruto Namikaze." Shino explains. "I am surprised that the object of your affection has not yet noticed it."

My eyes go wide at his observation.

"Do you…really think he doesn't know?" I ask.

The kikai ninja nods, speaking and moving more now then I've seen him do in an entire day.

"I have observed that during our time together as a team, you prefer to spar with Naruto over Kurenai-sensei or myself." He explains. "Also, you seem…brighter, while you do training with him, indicating a happier state of mind." He continues, as though he was checking off a list in his head. "It was after Naruto begin to wear training weights that you do so as well, and you refuse to remove them even during sparring matches where not wearing them would give you an advantage." He continues. "Whenever Naruto speaks to you, you unconsciously speak to him in what would be considered a happier tone of voice. When I am with you and he is not, you possess an air of almost clinical depression, unless he comes up in conversation. If that happens, the air of sadness that surrounds you vanishes, and you seem happier, if only for a time."

"I…I don't deserve Naruto…" I finally admit to the boy.

I see him push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Explain…" He responds, not a question, either.

"For a long time, I've felt like something was wrong, that I was different. Deep down, I knew the villagers were staring at me for something, but I never knew why. Ever since I was a little kid, I wished that I could just make someone else the target of the glares, to get them to stop looking at me like I'm a monster…"

"Such thoughts are common for those facing social exile." He points out. "While you may feel guilty, thinking of breaking a law does not make you guilty of breaking it."

I shake my head.

"Naruto is a good person, he treats people kindly, and he's always smiling." I tell my teammate. "He encourages all of us to work hard, and try our best. He doesn't break his promises, and no matter what happens, he always gets back up and tries again…"

"Do you love him?" Shino asks, cutting to the point.

I had thought I got my blushing under control, until that question escapes his lips…

"Um…I…"

"Your facial expression, combined with your body language and inability to respond suggests overwhelming infatuation." He explains. "Such emotion is usually a precursor to the emotion known as love, and should be brought to Naruto's attention…"

"Please don't tell him…" I finally manage to find my voice.

"Will you admit your feelings for him?" He asks.

I nod.

"I will, I just don't know how he feels about me yet…" I respond.

"I see…" The boy says, pushing his sunglasses up to cover his eyes. "I shall remain silent on this matter for the time being." He tells me. "However, should I feel it obvious of his returning your feelings, and no change between you, I will reveal my knowledge of your feelings." He explains.

I nod.

"Thank you, Shino…" I bow to the boy.

Naruto appears in the doorway he exited in a moment later. He holds a glass filled near to brim with a green tea. He hands me the glass, and I stumble through a thank you. I see Naruto shift his attention to the kikai ninja.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink, Shino?" Naruto asks.

The Aburame boy barely nods his head.

"I am fine, Naruto, I can wait until the meal is served."

"Uh, okay…" Naruto responds, scratching the back of his head.

"Um…" I mutter, taking a sip of the tea. "When will dinner be ready?"

I see Naruto nearly jump, his nervousness obvious.

_What's wrong with him? He's the son of the Hokage. I thought the ninja leader would host all sorts of diplomatic functions and formal dinners. So, why is Naruto acting so nervous around us? You'd think he'd be so used to having people here that it wouldn't be a problem…_

I feel some of the color leave my face when my thoughts go toward a conclusion.

_Could it be that he heard Shino and I talking? If he did, then he knows how I feel, and he's choosing not to say anything. Does he just now want to hurt me, so he's hoping that if he acts distant that I'll never confess my feelings? If that's the case, I don't…_

I mentally shake my head, trying to prevent the thoughts from reaching their logical conclusion.

"Uh, Mom's just finishing up now, so she should be calling anytime soon…"

I see the Fourth Hokage appear in the doorway, wearing a dark t shirt and a dark pair of pants. The man wears no shoes, his hair glistening, his face looking like he just stepped out of the shower…

"Dinner's ready kids…" He says with a grin. "If you don't come, you'll regret it later." He says in a strange sort of comical tone.

The Fourth motions for the three of us to follow him, and I see Naruto and Shino do so when the villager leader begins to leave the doorway. I follow my two teammates through the door and through a hall. The Fourth Hokage takes a left turn through an open doorway, and I can hear and smell the sounds of food cooking. The scent gets stronger with each step, and I enter into their kitchen and dining area.

Like the rest of the house, the room has a 'lived in' sort of atmosphere that you will never find at my home. The walls are a soft color which accents the attitudes of the people living here. The room itself is rectangular in shape. The kitchen proper dominates half of the 30 foot long room. While the other half is devoted to a nice darkly stained wooden table and chairs. Behind the table, against the wall opposite the kitchen is a large china cabinet. In the cabinet I see several strange looking cups and glasses, things that sparkle and shine, not meant for use with an informal dinner…

My feet slide against the hardwood floor while I walk. I see Minato walk into the kitchen, and my eyes follow him. I see his wife, Kushina standing over the stove, wearing a white apron with a deep red dress and matching blouse underneath. I see her long hair is tied into a pony tail, and hanging behind her.

"I've assembled our guest, honey…" The Fourth tells his wife, and I see the Hokage grinning.

"Hold on a minute, will ya?" She asks, her tone showing her annoyance.

_Things must not be going her way…_

I see the Fourth turn on his heels, walking back into the dining room.

"Well, you three may as well sit down, dinner will just be another few minutes…" He says, motioning toward the table with his left hand.

I feel my pointer fingers come together before I even speak.

"Um, can I do anything to help with dinner, Kushina-sama?" I ask aloud.

I see the Fourth's head half turn toward his wife, a sly smile on his face.

"Hinata-chan wants to know if you want any help in there, honey…" Minato asks, louder then I spoke.

"I'm fine! It'll just be another minute!" Kushina answers.

I see the Fourth Hokage look at me and wink his left eye, a sly grin to his face. He mouths the words 'go help her' and cocks his head toward his wife several times. I nod, walking into the kitchen and next to the red haired woman.

"Um, I'm really good in the kitchen, so I can help you if you would want…" I ask, feeling my cheeks redden.

Standing next to her, I see her sigh…

"I use the help…" She mutters, half sounding as though she doesn't want to ask for it.

Then the pot on the boiler begins to boil over, Kushina yelling out in surprise.

I move swiftly, lowering the heat and removing the lid. Steam bellows from the top of the metal pot, the heat getting a chance to escape. I grab a wooden spoon from a utensil rack, gently stirring the pot. All the while, Kushina Namikaze looks on.

"Good reaction time…" She mutters.

I nod, feeling my cheeks flush while I stir the pot.

"I've been taught to cook by my grandmother; I usually make lunch for everyone on our team when we go on missions…"

"Oh…" I hear Kushina say in understanding. I see out of the corner my eye that she wears a grin. "Now I know why Naruto stopped spending so much money on ramen all the time…"

"Um, I didn't mean to try and cause strife between you and your son, Kushina-sama…" I admit, keeping my voice low, confined to the kitchen.

I see the woman smile, patting me on the head.

"I know, it's just Naruto never told me why he suddenly cut his spending in half. I thought maybe he was eating when he got back or something…"

Standing there with Kushina in the kitchen, I feel guilt appear in my stomach.

"I am sorry…" I say, staring at the pot, my voice showing my sincerity. "I did not mean to intrude on you or your family…"

I see Kushina blink three times out of the corner of my eye.

"What're you talking about?" She asks, her tone showing her complete clueless-ness.

"When I brought Naruto home…" I begin, still staring at the pot, increasing the heat slightly since it no longer boils over. "I said something to you that could've been interpreted as very rude, and it was family business which I was commenting on."

The woman reaches out, ruffling my hair with her left hand. I see her smiling while she intentionally musses my hair. I reel, trying to pull my head away, but not wanting to spill the pot.

"Don't worry about it…" Kushina says. Then, I see her expression become very somber. "In reality, you were right." She tells me. "Both Mini and I thought that once Naruto entered the academy, he was growing up and didn't need us around." She tells me. "He was always so independent when he was younger. I didn't know we both meant so much to him…"

"You're his mother and father, how could you not mean something to him?" I ask no anger or negative intent to my voice, just a curiosity.

She shrugs her shoulders.

"He never said he didn't like both Mini and I being so occupied with work." She admits. "He never seemed unhappy, either."

"He believed there wasn't any other way…" I tell her, both of us keeping our voice low while we work on dinner. "He was happy when he was with you, and he enjoyed those moments together with you." I explain to her. "It was only when he was alone and away from you that his true feelings came through."

She nods, sighing heavily.

"Well, all that's done now." She tells me, and I get the double meaning to what she meant. "I used to be working a high level ANBU schedule, but in light of what's happened, Mini has assigned me a much lighter schedule, so I'll be able to spend more time with him before he leaves and when he gets back from being with you three." She tells me. "Mini also said he's going to look into getting an assistant or two to help him with all the work."

I nod.

"Thank you, Kushina-sama…" I say, bowing to her.

She waves her hand.

"Just be a good friend to my son, and we'll be even."

I nod again, bowing my head.

"I will always be his friend, Kushina-sama…"

Then, Minato's voice breaks the conversation between Kushina and me.

"Hey! When is that food gonna be ready, I'm DYING of starvation out here!" He yells.

I see a vein bulge in Kushina's head. The red haired woman spins and glares at her husband, waving a wooden spoon in the air.

"Just wait a minute you impatient ninny!" She yells at her husband.

Though it sounds bad, looking at the husband and wife, I can tell that later, this will mean nothing…

With a minor few details taken care of, I assist Kushina in serving the food to the boys. I don't know why I felt like helping her, but I just wanted to.

"Hey Naruto, not only will she be a looker when she grows up, but she's already good in the kitchen, you'd be a fool to let her get by!" The Fourth says, referencing me.

Kushina's hand lands on his head a moment later.

"QUIET YOU!" She snaps at him.

I feel myself blush while I set the pot down, with Naruto and Shino both looking at Kushina and Minato. I'm glad for the distraction, and I'm also glad that these people accept me…

_Even though they're the Hokage and his wife, they accept me for me, just like Naruto and Shino do…_

Both Kushina and Minato continue their 'quarrel' with both of them pushing each other's buttons on purpose. They go on for a few minutes, but once the dinner begins, the fake hostility is gone, and friendship fills the room.

The atmosphere is one I can only describe as jovial. Looking around the table, I see smiles and happy faces, so unlike the 'informal' dinner my grandmother had with my teammates….

_Why are things so different with Lord Hokage and his wife then with my grandmother? Is it because she's the head of the family? Do Naruto and Shino fear her because of that, and they don't possess the same fear of the Hokage? _

The meal Kushina Namikaze prepared is exactly as Shino predicted. She makes traditional cuisine from our village rather then wherever it is she's from. Her skill with the cuisine is the same as anyone who's lived in the village of Konoha for all their life. She cooks based on recipes in books, rather then a time tested and altered recipe passed down from generation to generation, like my grandmother. Knowing that, it's easy to understand why her cooking tastes so much different from what my grandmother usually cooks.

_Although, her food possesses a certain quality to it, something I can't quite put my finger on. I don't know what it is, but it gives it a certain taste that's there, and isn't there at the same time…_

"You know, when Naruto was a little boy…" Kushina begins, and I see Naruto open his mouth to speak, but his mother beats him to the punch. "He used to hang onto my leg, and he wouldn't let go for hours at time!" Kushina says.

From the moment the meal began, which has to be at least 20 minutes ago, both Kushina and Minato have been drinking…sake…and lots of it…

Needless to say, the sheer amount of alcohol they're ingesting combined with the fact that they've been talking a lot, rather then eating, isn't helping them to NOT tell embarrassing stories…

"Aw, come on mom!" Naruto vehemently protests. "I was like what, 3 years old when I did that?" He asks, looking to the two of us for defense.

"I have never once attached myself to my mother's leg…" Shino quietly comments.

I see Naruto's gaze shift to me, a desperate look for defense in his eyes…

I feel my fingers press together beneath the table.

"I couldn't do things like that, when I was little…" I comment, looking down toward the floor.

_Grandmother wouldn't have it. If I did something like that, she'd scold me and tell me a member of the Hyuga main house doesn't cling to anyone, regardless of who they're clinging to…_

"Oh man…" Naruto sighs heavily.

"OH…!" Kushina nearly shouts, as though she remembered something suddenly. "For the longest time, Naruto wouldn't sleep in his own room, he had to sleep next to me, couldn't fall asleep alone…" Kushina nearly rambles. "He kept saying 'The Fox-girl will get me if I'm alone…'"

I feel a stab of guilt. I see Kushina's eyes immediately go wide, dropping the small cup of sake and clasping both hands over her mouth. Naruto looks at his mother with disbelief in his eyes. The Fourth Hokage looking as though he doesn't believe what his wife just said either. The Aburame boy pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Hinata-chan…" Kushina begins. "I didn't mean to…"

"Excuse me, please." I say, standing up from the table.

I leave the dining room, not knowing WHERE I'm going, just that I want to get away from that room.

_The fox gave him nightmares when he was younger. Now he's been teamed with me…_

I find myself in the sitting room Naruto led Shino and me into earlier. I stand there, and I feel a sob escape my lips. I can feel tears begin to well up in my eyes…

_When we were younger, Naruto wouldn't be able to sleep because he was afraid of ME. ME, ME, ME, ME, ME…_

I barely notice the blonde genin appearing in the doorway. I half turn toward him. I look over my left shoulder at him. I can see the apology in his eyes…

"Hinata, I…" He mutters, scratching the back of his head. "I…" He begins again. "I don't think that way anymore. I was just a 3 year old, and I heard people talking about you when I went out with my mom. The women in the market would whisper about a 'fox-girl' that was a horrible person, and a demon herself. I had no idea what or who they were talking about. It wasn't until I got separated from mom by accident, and I overheard some tell a detailed story about this 'fox-girl' killing homeless people in the night that I was really frightened." He tells me. "After I told my mom, she told me there was no such thing as a 'Fox-girl,' and that I was safe. I didn't believe her, the story just stuck with me…"

"I'm sorry Naruto…" I apologize for something that isn't my fault. "I have had to bear much bigotry and ignorance…"

I see the boy scowl at me.

"What're you sorry for?" He demands, walking toward me. "What did you do that would cause someone to make up a rumor like that?" He asks.

I shake my head no.

"Nothing, I never did anything wrong or immoral when I was growing up…"

He reaches out, putting both hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eyes.

"Then what do you have to apologize for?" He asks. "The ignorance of others isn't YOUR fault. If anything, **I** should apologize to you…"

"But, you were only a little boy, and you don't think that way now…"

"Because I grew up, and I learned to see bull shit for what it really is." He tells me. "You should learn some of that too Hinata, because all the guilt you've been carrying, all the pain, all of it has been based on the bull shit ignorant people living in our village." He tells me. "You don't deserve what you've gotten. I know that, Shino knows that, my parents know that…"

I nod, my cheeks having flushed when his hands touched my jacket.

"I…" I mutter, not knowing what to say.

The boy breathes a heavy sigh.

"Anyway, mom's sorry, and she wants you to come back to dinner." He tells me, removing his hands. "She also says she'll understand if you don't…"

I shake my head.

_He thinks I deserve better then the way I've been treated, both he and Shino see the injustice that I've suffered from…_

I feel a smile come to my face.

"Thank you, Naruto…" I say, bowing my head. "It would be wrong to let the food get cold…"

I see the boy crack a smile.

"All right…" He says, giving me a thumb up.

With that, the two of us walk back toward the dining room. Upon arriving at the dining room, I see a somber air has filled the air. I see Kushina's head spin around, the woman getting up out of her chair and walking toward me. Without a word, the woman bows to me, and then looks me in my eyes.

"I am terribly sorry, what I said was…" She begins.

I wave my hand dismissively.

"It's all right…" I tell the woman, and I see relief wash over her.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan…" She says, bowing again.

I return to my seat, with both Naruto and Shino doing so as well. A silence develops shortly afterward. We each eat silently for a few moments, then the Fourth Hokage clears his throat.

"I believe Shino has something he wants everyone to hear, something that has been a long time coming…" The Fourth says, motioning toward the Aburame boy.

The kikai ninja nods.

"During our mission as peacekeepers in the border town, I extrapolated Hinata's status as the Jinchuriki into which the Kyuubi No Kitsune was sealed." He begins. "Upon learning of this, and the negative treatment that she endured at both the hands of others and the hands of members of my clan, I was forced to reevaluate my position within my family. I called for an audience with the clan elders, speaking to them with my father's permission. I explained to them all of my knowledge of your condition, as well as the injustice that you have endured because of it." He continues. "The clan elders asked if I was requesting a transfer, to which I called for a reason. They implied that because of your status as the Jinchuriki, I would desire to be placed with another team of genin, or have you removed from our team in favor of another kunoichi." He continues. "Upon hearing this, my hypothesis was confirmed that my clan no longer kept to the code of logic and rational thought that I was raised to be our pillars. We of all people should understand a Jinchuriki, yet the members of my clan treat you the same as everyone else does." He pauses. "I managed to convince the council that they should revaluate their opinions of you and encourage members of the clan to do the same. They have allowed me to extend a welcome into any Aburame home." He finishes

I feel at a loss for words, the kikai ninja having just spoke more now then I've EVER heard him speak before…

"In short…" The boy begins again. "You are welcome anytime within the walls of any Aburame home, should you find yourself in need or desire…" He finishes.

I blink three times, still not knowing what to say to him.

_No one, except maybe Naruto's family, has ever said they'd welcome me into their home without question like that. But, a three person family is much different then an entire clan…_

"Isn't that cool Hinata?" Naruto asks, looking at me with a grin. "His whole clan is willing to welcome you now, rather then scowl at you like other people do."

I nod, feeling more tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

I sniffle, wiping the tears on my jacket sleeve.

"It is times like these that make me remember why I became Hokage of this village…" Minato says in a solemn tone. "The Aburame clan of kikai ninja may not be the most socially acceptable people, but they are willing to renounce their ignorance and see you for what you really are Hinata, in that, your father's dying wish is fulfilled."

I look to the kikai ninja, seeing him sitting there, an utter calm about him.

"Shino, thank you…" I say, bowing to the boy.

"It is of no significance." He tells me. "To hate something because of a lack of understanding is the most illogical thing a person can do, this renaissance was needed sometime ago, and I am…proud that I brought it about…"

With that, the mood is brightened again. Minato asks about Kurenai and how she's treating us. That question starts us into a conversation, and the dinner can't go better after that.

It isn't until late that I leave the Hokage's home. Shino and I part ways half way, and I return to the Hyuga mansion with a new perspective on the kikai ninja, and his entire family.

_If he and his family change, then maybe I can one day garner acceptance from the people of this village. Maybe someday, I can walk down the streets of this village and not be scowled at by the people…_

Maybe…

Returning to the Hyuga home, I nod to the branch family member on duty, guarding the front gate. I enter the house, walking toward my room when I see Hizashi Hyuga walking down the hall.

The man wears robes similar to my grandmother's, and I can see the anger in his eyes. The man walks a clipped pace, barely managing a nod toward me when we pass each other by. I turn and look at him, watching his back move away from me.

_What is he doing here? He's the leader of the branch houses and Neji-nii-san's father. If…when, grandmother dies, he'll temporarily gain leadership of the entire clan until such time as the village council recognizes my claim as the Hyuga leader. But, what would he be doing here at this time of night? This part of the home is where the members of the main house sleep; his quarters along with the others of the 1__st__ branch house are in the other wing of the home…_

I shrug my shoulders, not knowing what business the man might have in this part of the house. I walk toward my room. Unfortunately, my room is near my grandmother's bedroom, a choice she made so she'd be near if an attempt was ever made on my life…

_She learned her lesson after what happened back then…_

Walking past my grandmother's door, I hear her voice through the cracked door.

"Come in here, my granddaughter…" I hear her voice.

I stop mid step, turning toward the door. I take a deep breath, letting it out to relax my nerves. I slide the door open, stepping into the dark room with candles flickering inside. The lights illuminate my grandmother in a flickering orange glow. Her eyes are closed, though the veins around her eyes bulge, telling me she has her Byakugan activated.

"You wish to speak to me, grandmother?" I ask, standing up straight and speaking in a proper tone.

"Close the door…" She simply says.

I do so, sliding the door into place, cutting off the outside light.

"I must speak to you in regards to Hizashi, and the 1st branch house…" She tells me.

I raise my eyebrows.

"What about the first branch house, grandmother?" I ask. "I saw Hizashi-sama walking toward the other wing…"

I stop talking, seeing my grandmother's eyes open when I said 'Hizashi-sama,' using an honorific that suggests that he is more important…

Her glare sends a shiver down my spine…

"You will NEVER refer to him as you just have again, Hinata, do I make myself clear?" The woman asks with a cold edge to her voice.

I swallow the saliva in my mouth.

"Yes, I promise grandmother…" I respond, nodding my head.

Her eyes close again, but I refrain from sighing in relief.

"Now, as I was saying…" She begins, returning to the topic. "Whenever you are around either Hizashi, or any of his children, you are to NEVER lower your guard." She warns me but more like orders me.

"Um, why would I not trust them, grandmother?" I ask. "Isn't it the branch house's duty to protect the main house?"

She nods her head.

"It is Hinata, but I fear that Hizashi is seeking to defy the destiny set before him." She tells me.

"I do not understand, grandmother…" I respond.

She exhales a sigh.

"When I die, Hizashi will gain temporary leadership of our entire clan." She tells me. "You know that, though once the village council recognizes your strength, he will lose that status and be returned to his place as leader of the branch houses." She tells me. "However, I fear that Hizashi has been in secret meetings with other members of the village council, and plans to usurp my will once he's attained my position." She tells me. "To that end, I believe he may have you killed, or mortally wounded by his own family should you ever be alone together. Doing that would remove any claim you may develop to leadership of our family, and with my death, would ensure his position as leader of the entire clan."

"But, if his children harm me, then he'll be punished…"

"Nothing he couldn't have explained away as an accident…" She tells me.

My eyes go wide at what my grandmother insinuates.

"You honestly believe he'll try to harm me?" I ask, and I see her nod in the dim light.

"Yes, he was just here, wishing to discuss with me the exact conditions under which you would gain leadership of our clan after I am gone." She tells me.

_So, that's what he was doing here…_

"And you believe that once you die, he'll simply have me killed, just so he can assume permanent control of our clan?"

I see her nod solemnly.

"If only your father hadn't died…" I hear her mutter. "Then that insipid man would have no claim to anything…"

"But, if father didn't do what he did, then the Kyuubi would've…" I begin, only to hear my grandmother speak.

"I am well aware of the reasoning behind my son's sacrifice." She informs me. "I was just merely idly wishing that the Fourth Hokage hadn't been hit by one of the demon's tails." She tells me. "If that hadn't happened, the Fourth would be dead, and the Hyuga clan would be safe…"

"But, if the Fourth was dead, then Naruto…" I begin to argue, trailing off, not knowing what I was going to say.

"What about his son?" Hibana asks.

I shake my head.

"Nothing grandmother, I apologize." I tell her, bowing to her.

She takes a deep breath, and then exhales slowly.

"That is all I have to say to you Hinata." She tells me. "There are those among the branch houses I trust, but there are those I do not…" She informs me. "The members of the 1st house are not to be trusted…" She warns me again.

I nod my understanding.

"I will keep a careful eye on them, grandmother." I respond, bowing again.

"Go then…" She says, waving her hand dismissively.

I do just as I'm instructed. I open the door and move through it like a silent wraith, closing the door behind me. I maintain my composure, knowing full well that my grandmother is not above looking through her door to spy on me. I move through the hallway, heading for my room…

After a quick shower and changing clothes into my pajamas, I fall into my bed, my eyelids becoming so heavy…

I find myself in the dark, wet place again. Hearing water slowly drip into the ankle deep water on the floor, I hear the low growl of the demon. I see I'm dressed in my pajamas, though I have no idea why I'm back in this damp, awful place…

I start walking forward, knowing that I am here because the Kyuubi wishes to speak, though I have no idea what about.

_What does it want now? The last time I was here, I was close to dying, but I'm in no such condition now…_

Walking into the large room, I see the giant bars that form the far wall. I remain near the hall that leads into the room, knowing full well of the demon which lies beyond the bars.

In the darkness, I see the eyes appear, followed shortly by the gleaming white teeth of the Kyuubi.

The demon lets out a low growl, barely more then a murmur, though I feel it resonate through the entire bunker. I feel a chill run down my spine while the demon glares at me, feeling suddenly small and insignificant…

"Wha-wha-what do you want?" I finally manage to ask.

A sharp, angry growl answers me, white claws leaping through the bars. The claws stop several feet away from me, but I still jump, nearly running back into the hall. The demon growls again, the claws slowly receding back into the bars.

"You will not speak to me in such a tone, you worthless piece of meat…" The Kyuubi no Kitsune informs me. "If not for this seal, I'd have eaten you long ago…"

I clear my throat, shifting my tactics.

"What do you desire of me?" I ask politely and perfectly, as though I were speaking to my grandmother.

I see the teeth shift into a smile.

"I wish to speak to you about the matter the piece of meat you call a grandmother discussed with you, vessel…" It informs me.

I raise my eyebrows in curiosity.

"You are aware of what happens around me?" I ask.

"All you know and see, I know and see…" The demon explains. "I told you before that if you die, I will die, you do remember, don't you vessel?"

I nod.

"Good, then this shall be quick…"

_I want nothing more…_

"This Hizashi, he is shrewd and cunning and I have seen him before…" The Kyuubi tells me. "When you were a babe, you were kidnapped from your crib, and it was this Hizashi that killed your kidnapper."

I nod.

"His protection of me was what brought him to leadership of all the branch families." I inform the fox. "Before that, he was a member of a lower family, with little power or influence."

"Yes…" The demon agrees. "However, I am inclined to agree with the old bag of meat…" It tells me. "This Hizashi is spurned by his position, and would do anything to change it, that even I can tell." It tells me. "If he kills you, I will be most angry during our eternity together in the underworld…"

I nod, swallowing the saliva in my mouth.

"I won't let him kill me…" I tell the demon.

"Do see that you don't…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A New Mission…

(Okay, the name of the chapter is kinda misleading; they don't start the new mission until 8, so just bear with it. This chapter wasn't beta read, I did it myself, and so that's why it doesn't sound as good. I felt bad that the people that actually read this thing… (Should I call you fans? I don't know it just doesn't seem like fans is the right word.) …would've had to wait for 10 days while my beta is on vacation. Anyway, this is chapter 7, and many of you will be happy to read this, since you treat this like it's some sort of canon material or something. Oh yeah, 'strumpet' is a Shakespearean insult that basically means whore. That said, enjoy…)

Chapter 7: A New Mission…

The next morning, I awake at the sound of my alarm. I go through my normal morning routine, expecting that today we'll just perform more D rank missions for the village. Putting everything in my backpack, I slip the pack on and leave the Hyuga home wearing my normal uniform. I leave early, to avoid the glares of other villagers and walk the streets before people are really out and about. I make it to training ground 8 around 8:30 in the morning.

I'm the first to arrive, as the training ground is empty when I get there. Looking around, see what looks like pieces of ground and trees dug away with what looks like a spiraling shovel…

_Those are…_

I remember watching Naruto training, attempting to use a strange ninjutsu that doesn't involve any hand signs. I remember seeing him attempt the technique several times, and then pass out…

_From the sheer number of these, there are many more then the first time I saw him training…_

I walk over to the largest indent, kneeling down, I run my finger tips along the ridges dug into the ground…

_This damage, if this is what this ninjutsu does when it's done improperly, the damage it could do to a human body would be incredible, if not lethal…_

I can't help but stare at the remains of the incomplete technique Naruto is attempting to learn, and then another thought occurs to me.

_Wait; didn't the Fourth Hokage say something about teaching Naruto a new technique? He said it was a technique that only he and his former teacher knew. If that's the case and this is that technique…_

My thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of another person to the training ground. I look over my right shoulder, seeing Kurenai-sensei standing there, her left hand on her left hip, her right arm hanging down at her side.

"You're early Hinata…" Kurenai says, looking at me with my right hand still touching the damaged ground. "You're looking at the results of Naruto's training, I take it?"

I nod, standing up, pressing my pointer fingers together.

"Um, how do you know about Naruto's training, Kurenai-sensei?" I ask before I can even think.

"Lord Hokage told me about it, he said he's trying to teach Naruto to master something called the 'Rasengan.'" She explains. "Lord Hokage says it's a powerful melee range technique that doesn't use any hand signs. I'd like to see what it looks like when Naruto masters it…" She trails off.

"I would imagine a technique created by the Fourth Hokage would be very powerful, and if it can damage the ground or a tree like this in its incomplete state…" I mutter, thinking about what it might do to a human being…

"Lord Hokage told me Naruto has been spending long nights here, training late into the night alone." Kurenai begins, her voice possessing a hint of pity. "Lord Hokage says he's going to start sending an ANBU unit to watch over him every night since he's always training alone…" She trails, placing emphasis on the last word…

_Is she trying to suggest that I stay with Naruto and help him train? But, what can I do to help him?_

"Um, sensei, I know it's a shame that Naruto trains alone so late, but I don't see the point in my being with him while he does so…" I begin. "I can't help him train, I have no idea how the jutsu he's learning even works…"

I see the woman shake her head.

"Hinata, you can help him just by being there." She explains. "With someone with him, even if you aren't helping him physically, he'll feel better about training, and he won't feel alone, so he'll be able to concentrate." She continues. "Besides, spending time alone with him would be a good thing, wouldn't it?" She asks.

I nod my head, feeling like I'm talking to my mother, though I know Kurenai is not my biological mother…

There's a long moment of silence between us, and then I see her gaze shift upward.

"Looks like they're both here…" She points out.

A moment later, Naruto and Shino emerge from the trees, landing near the edge of the training ground. Both boys look to be their normal selves, Naruto wearing a grin to match his bright orange jumpsuit. Shino wears his usual gray jacket, and an air of absolute calm…

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei, Hinata…" Naruto says, approaching the two of us.

Shino merely nods a morning greeting.

Both Kurenai and I return the greeting, and I feel a little embarrassed for a moment, until Kurenai speaks.

"Well, we're supposed to report to the Hokage's tower in 15 minutes for a mission assignment." Kurenai explains. "We should get moving."

The three of us nod our agreement. Shino, Naruto and I follow our teacher out of the training ground and back toward the village. I don't know why our teacher simply doesn't just have us meet at the tower or somewhere else, but instead insists on the training ground…

_Whatever her reason, she probably has a good reason. Besides, you can use the exercise and walking is good for you. With the weights you're wearing, just learning to walk a normal speed with them on is good training…_

Thinking about the weights, I increase the weight slightly, feeling pull of the arm and leg restraints. I ignore the pull and focus on keeping up with my teammates, not wanting to slow them down.

We arrive at the tower in 10 minutes, though the entire time I feel the glares of the people of the village, scowling at me and the demon contained inside my body. I know that they're only doing it out fear, but it still doesn't make it feel any better…

Walking into the Hokage's office, I see a new Chunin guard, different from the one the last time the four of us came here as a group. I smile inwardly at the change, seeing the Hokage stick to his word…

"Ah, Kurenai and her Squad 8, I was wondering when you 4 might arrive." He begins.

The Hokage sits behind his desk, with papers piled everywhere on it. The man looks tired, with dark circles under his eyes, and I can tell he hasn't been sleeping much…

"Dad, you don't look so good, have you been sleeping?" Naruto asks, concern for his father filling his voice.

I see the man smile, though it doesn't do anything to hide his obvious fatigue.

"I've just been really busy lately, that's all." He explains. "In about a month, things should get back to normal…"

I see our teacher shift an eyebrow, and then the expression is gone.

"You wished to speak with us, Lord Hokage?" She asks.

He nods.

"Yes, I called you three here because I'm assigning you a second C rank mission."

_A second C rank mission?_

"Another C rank mission for us, Lord Hokage…?" Kurenai questions, the blonde man nodding.

"Yes, we've just received a request and I wanted to give it to your squad." He explains. "It's a mission perfectly within the abilities of a genin squad, and your group has been the best to perform so far of the rookie genin teams." He tells us.

"Your praise is flattering Lord Hokage, but my team and I are still relatively rookies, and I do not know if a second C rank mission would be a wise assignment for us." She responds.

I see him wave his hand.

"I have the most absolute faith in you and your squad Kurenai, I'm positive you can succeed in this." He begins. "Besides, as far as C rank missions go, this one's pretty important, and I didn't want to give it to a team that's too busy fighting amongst themselves to worry about outside threats…"

_That has to be a shot a Squad 7. I've heard that Kiba and Sasuke are almost always bickering at each other. I don't know how Kakashi can even get anything done; with those orange perverted books he always seems to have his nose in…_

"What is the mission, Lord Hokage?" Kurenai asks.

He reaches into a drawer in his desk, withdrawing a black scroll. He hands the scroll to Kurenai, who takes it and opens it, reading the contents.

"An Ambassador to the land of lightning has been in our village for peace talks." He begins, detailing the assignment. "Now that the peace talks are over, the Ambassador is requesting a ninja escort to the border with the land of lightning."

_A person from the Cloud village…_

"Um…" I speak out, drawing the Hokage's gaze.

"Yes, Hinata Hyuga?" The man asks; his voice in no way suggesting anger or annoyance.

"Um, well, we are allies with the land of lighting, so why would he need an escort back to his own country?"

"While we are allies, Hinata, that only guarantees her safety within our village." The Hokage explains. "Once she leaves the village, she is at the mercy of any bandits or robbers that may decide to rob her." Minato Namikaze explains. "If they were to find out who she is, then they would no doubt hold her for ransom or threaten her. If such a thing were to happen, it could start a war, and that cannot be allowed." He finishes.

Kurenai rolls up the scroll, holding it in her right hand.

"If that's the case Lord Hokage, then I ask that you choose another genin team for this assignment." Kurenai says in a no nonsense tone. "While my team has grown as a unit, it would be better if you assigned a team of Chunin to this assignment."

The Hokage sighs heavily.

"That is the problem, Kurenai." He tells us all. "Most of the Chunin I have available have no working experience with each other, and the land of lightning doesn't want to pay for the escort, which means whoever goes will be lost income for the village." He explains. "The more powerful a group I send, the more money lost for the village."

I see her nod.

"Ah, the burden of economics…" She mutters.

He nods.

"As I've said, your team is the squad I feel best suited for this task, with an Aburame and Hyuga, you can protect the ambassador, and my son has heavy combat skills that will serve you well should something happen."

Kurenai nods, her gaze flicking to Naruto a moment, and then back to his father.

"I understand Lord Hokage…" The woman says. "When do we leave?"

He claps his hands together.

"The four of you will leave tomorrow morning at 9 am." He tells us all. "The Ambassador will be waiting in my office tomorrow morning. Come meet her here, and then escort her. It's a 3 day one way trip, so pack enough provisions for 6 days. You're all dismissed." He says.

Kurenai nods, turning on her heels. The three of us follow her, following the woman until we're in the streets.

She stops and turns around, looking at the three of us.

"Well, since we have an early start tomorrow, we'll forgo doing any strenuous training or any missions today." She tells us. "Once we separate, you three should go home and pack your things." She tells us.

We all nod our agreement.

"Okay, let's start with a movement exercise; get to training ground 8 as fast as you can."

With that, she makes quick hand signs and disappears. The four of us look at each other, and I feel déjà vu for a moment when I leap into the air. This time, I don't outrun the two of them; instead I stay with them, using the opportunity to see just how fast I can push myself with the weights on. I know that if go too fast, I'll hurt myself, and then I'll never hear the end of it, particularly on the eve of a C rank mission…

The three of us go from tree to tree, moving as quickly as the three of us can as a group.

It takes 15 minutes for the three of us to find our way back to the training ground, with Kurenai-sensei waiting there for us. She appears as though she's been there for quite some time. The three of us land near the edge of the training ground.

"Well, it looks like you've all improved somewhat…" She says, looking at the three of us. "Though, I'd say that if both Naruto and Hinata removed their training weights, you both would be a lot faster…" She says.

I see Shino push his sunglasses up out of the corner of my eye.

"How much weight have you both applied to those restraints?" Shino asks.

"I don't know…" Naruto volunteers with a shrug. "I've got maybe 20 pounds on each limb, how about you Hinata?"

I shrug.

"I don't know either." I tell my teacher and teammates. "Whenever I get used to the weight, I just increase the load."

"I see…" The boy says with his hands in his pockets.

"I don't think that your wearing weight like they are is going to help you Shino." Kurenai begins. "Your body structure is different thanks to the kikai technique which imbued your body with the ability to manipulate insects." Kurenai continues. "However, there are other means to become stronger, and I'm sure if you ask your father, explaining what Naruto and Hinata are doing, I'm positive your father can help you."

The boy nods his understanding, though I don't have to think about what Shino might do to train before Kurenai's gaze shifts to me.

"Hinata, you've been training with your grandmother, have you not?" She asks.

I shake my head no.

"Grandmother hasn't taught me any new techniques since I became a Genin." I explain to my teacher. "She feels as though I know enough of the Gentle Fist, and should learn to work as a part of a team before I continue." I explain.

I see my teacher nod once.

"I see…" She says with a reflective tone.

Then, her eyes move to Naruto.

"Lord Hokage has told me you're attempting to master a technique he's taught you…" She says. "Have you been able to master this technique?"

Naruto shakes his head no.

"I've been trying, but I haven't been able to successfully form the jutsu." He tells our teacher. "It requires a lot of chakra control to perform, so..." He trails off.

I see her nod.

Without a word she draws a knife, walking over to one of the tree stumps in the training ground. I see her silently pace out away from the stump in a straight line, marking off three lines at different distances from the stump. When she finishes the last line, she returns the knife to her pouch. She looks up, looking first at Shino, and then to me.

"Shino, Hinata, the two of you will run separators." She explains to us. "Start from the stump, run to the first line, then back, then run out to the second line, and then back, and then finally the third line and back." She explains. "This exercise will help to increase your physical speed and stamina, as well as your ability to move in tight spaces." She continues. "Run 3 sets, which mean a total of 9 trips, 3 to each line. Run them in order; don't run 3 to the first, 3 to the second, and then 3 to the third, do you both understand?"

We both nod, moving to the designated stump.

"If you have no objections, I shall perform the first set." Shino says.

Kurenai walks away from the far line when Shino begins to run the separator. I look to Kurenai-sensei, seeing her walk toward Naruto.

"Um, sensei, what am I going to do?" Naruto asks.

She reaches into her pocket, withdrawing a black scroll and handing it to him.

"We're going to work on your chakra control." She tells him, then looking over shoulder to the two of us, she speaks. "Keep working on that exercise until you're either too exhausted to move, or Naruto and I come back, whichever comes first." She explains.

Both she and Naruto walk away from where Shino and I remain, and I return my attention to the Aburame boy running the exercise. I watch him run, pumping his arms and stopping and starting with precision. In spite of the Aburame family's reputation for being less then physically focused, Shino isn't in bad shape.

I see him run to the last line, and then turn, running back to the stump. He stops at the stump, beginning his second separator. I watch him run through 2 full separators, and then stop, looking at me after the last separator. I see his chest moving up and down beneath the jacket, and I can tell that the exercise has left him winded.

"It is your turn to perform this exercise." He says.

I nod, moving next to the stump while the Aburame boy moves away. I look at the lines, wanting to increase the weight in my arms and legs, but I decide against it. I start off, running to the first line, and then back. I run the three separators, pumping my arms while I run. Finally, after the 9th round trip, I stop at the stump.

Resting my left hand on the stump, I feel like I've been running strenuously, my stomach moving up and down quickly. My muscles slightly burn from the lack of oxygen in my blood, which is why I now take big gulps of air…

"Your performance on the exercise was hindered by the restraints you wear." Shino points, out, and I nod, looking down toward the ground.

"That's the point…" I manage to respond. "If I don't wear them while I work like this, I won't improve."

"I see…" The Aburame boy says, pushing his sunglasses up. "I would caution that you not strain yourself, and to know what your limits are." He warns me. "The presence of the Kyuubi No Kitsune in your body does give you remarkable stamina, but you are still human."

I nod.

"Thank you, Shino, I will." I say, moving away from the stump.

The boy takes his position, taking off from the line at the starting gun in his head…

_I wonder how long we'll have to run these exercises before Kurenai and Naruto come back…_

&

Nearly 3 hours later, Shino and I are exhausted, lying on the ground, breathing heavily. My weights lie on the ground next to me, my arms still hurting from the strenuous exercise, even without them on…

I hear footsteps against the grass. I look toward the source of the noise to see both Naruto and Kurenai approaching us, Naruto looking almost as exhausted as Shino and I…

_Oh, thank Kami it isn't some stranger…_

If I were seen like this, grandmother would have a fit, and never stop scolding me. I know that Kurenai only has the best intentions for us, and only wants to help us improve. Even so, running the separators has left me feeling more exhausted then I've ever felt before in my life. I can't imagine how the Aburame boy feels, with his insects feeding from his chakra, preventing him from using the energy to at least assuage the muscles and help ease the pain…

"I think it's time we took a break…" Kurenai says. "It's near lunch time, so all of you take an hour for lunch."

Lying there on the ground, I don't feel like moving to get my backpack…

"Um sensei, I think they ran themselves ragged." Naruto says.

"Naruto's observation is quite astute." Shino says, looking up at the sky, his voice showing his exhaustion.

"What about you, Hinata?" Kurenai asks.

"I concur with Shino's remark…" I comment, intentionally sounding like the Aburame boy.

"Naruto…" I mutter, sitting up. "There's food and tea in my backpack…" I say, wincing at the pain in my legs.

"Okay…" The boy mutters.

He walks over to my backpack. I see him unzip it, opening the backpack and withdrawing the 4 bento boxes from it. I see him grab the thermos and the 4 cups, setting the cups on top of the sealed thermos lid. I watch him walk over to sit near Shino and me. He carries the food and drink to us, setting a lunch before Shino and me. I look to see the Aburame sit up and slowly move his legs. I can tell the boy is in pain, having run the same number of separators I have…

_Though, the pain isn't as bad as it was 10 minutes ago. I guess the Kyuubi's presence in my body does benefit me sometimes…_

Looking to the Aburame boy, I can tell that he doesn't get a similar benefit from his insects. Naruto serves the boxed lunches to both Shino and I. I see Kurenai sit next to him, taking her lunch from the stack.

"You two look exhausted…" Naruto points out. "How many of those separator things did you run?"

Shino glances toward me, and I meet his gaze. He then looks back to Naruto.

"We each ran 23 sets each, Naruto…" Shino informs him.

I see Kurenai's eyes move between Shino and me a moment, and then return to a relaxed position not looking at anything…

"You both ran 23?" Naruto asks in disbelief, and I nod.

"Yes, Naruto…" I answer. "We ran them until neither of us could stand, just as you instructed, Kurenai-sensei."

The red eyed woman nods.

"I can see that Hinata, both you and Shino did exactly as I told you." She praises us. "This training is a good way to increase your stamina and physical speed, with or without weights." She explains. "All you have to do is simply decrease the time you spend in transit between the lines."

Shino nods and I perform a similar action.

"I'll have to start doing them in my spare time…" Naruto says.

I see Kurenai eye the boy cautiously.

"I don't think you really need to do that, Naruto." Kurenai tells him. "You're wearing training weights, so you really don't need to work on your physical abilities as much as you do your chakra control." She explains. "Unfortunately for you, your father teamed you with 2 Genin who have above average chakra control. Because of that, compared to them you don't look like the student who graduated at the head of your class." She explains to him. "Though, your mastery of the Shadow Clone jutsu is impressive."

"But, sensei, both Hinata and Shino mastered that technique that you taught us, the mud wall…" Naruto explains.

Kurenai nods.

"As I said, both Hinata and Shino possess above average chakra control, and for various reasons, neither of them were noted for it in the academy."

The boy looks at both Shino and me, and then turns back to Kurenai.

"Why wouldn't the teachers at the academy grade them based on their abilities?" Naruto asks.

Kurenai lets out a long sigh.

"You are fully aware of Hinata's…reception amongst the villagers Naruto. You know that people glare at her because of the demon's presence. The instructors at the academy were no different, and they changed her answers on the written exams. The instructors overly critiqued her practical exams, so she naturally got the lowest scores."

"Okay…" He begins, as though he's processing the information. "If Hinata's chakra control has always been so good, what about Shino's chakra control?" Naruto asks.

Kurenai looks to the boy. Naruto's eyes follow hers to her target, and I see him looking at Shino with a curious expression on his face.

"It made little sense for me to stand out during my time in the academy." Shino explains. "I intentionally achieved only mediocre grades."

"Oh…" Naruto says.

Kurenai takes a deep breath while the three of us dig into the lunches I made. Naruto pours the tea, a welcome change from the norm.

"Naruto, I've been meaning to discuss with you your performance so far…" Kurenai says, and I see Naruto turn toward her, a piece of fish in his mouth, chopsticks in hand.

I see him suck the fish into his mouth, swallowing it a moment later.

"What about my performance?" Naruto asks.

"During your time in the academy, you were the top rated student; you passed every written exam and practical test with flying colors." Kurenai explains. "However, what I've seen of you thus far has hardly been a performance worthy of a top ranked student."

I see him nod solemnly.

"In the academy, I had a lot of time to myself, and I was able to study." He says. "I learned all the practical ninjutsu, like an illusionary clone and transformation, along with substitution." He explains. "Since I learned them when I wasn't at the academy, I was able to perform them perfectly." He continues. "As far as the written stuff goes, my dad has a huge library of information, and since mom and dad were so busy all the time, all I really did was study."

I see Kurenai nod.

"So, you stopped doing that after you graduated?" She asks.

He nods his head.

"The academy classes ended in the afternoon, and weren't nearly as tiring as going on missions." He explains. "When I went home from the academy, I had energy to burn. When I go home from doing missions, I'm really wiped out. All I want to do is shower, eat and go to bed."

"I see…" Kurenai says thoughtfully. "Well, you're undergoing supplementary training with the restraining weights, and you're attempting to master your father's technique." She explains.

"Yeah, I've been working on perfecting it, thought it's only been a few days since dad taught it to me." He explains.

The remainder of the hour long lunch goes uneventfully. We make small talk, not really discussing anything, just keeping the atmosphere light and relaxed. After an hour, Kurenai claps her hands.

"All right…" She says before she stands up. "Shino, Hinata, the two of you should continue running separators." She tells us. "Do that for another hour, Naruto and I will return then."

Both Shino and I nod. The three of us pack up the lunch, putting the boxes and empty thermos back into my backpack. I return the weights to my limbs while Naruto and Kurenai leave the area, and I can only assume they're returning to wherever they went in the morning. Shino takes his position on the starting line, starting off toward the first line. I watch him run the 3 sets, coming to a stop near the stump after 5 minutes.

He moves away from the stump, and I move to where he was, ready to begin my set when the boy speaks.

"May I ask you a question, Hinata?" I hear him ask.

I look to see him standing there, hands in his pockets, sunglasses covering his eyes.

I nod.

"Sure…" I respond.

I turn back toward the 3 dug out lines on the ground, preparing to run the separator when I hear him speak up again.

"What incident occurred between you and the Hidden Cloud village?" The boy asks.

I stumble, nearly falling forward flat on my face…

_How does he know?_

"Um, what makes you think something happened between me and the Hidden Cloud village?" I ask, trying to sound innocent.

"When we were given our mission assignment this morning, you have been apprehensive since you heard we would be escorting a Hidden Cloud ambassador." He tells me matter of factly. "I wish to inquire to the source of your apprehension."

I nod, my eyes drifting down to the ground.

"When I was little, not much more then a year old, there was a conflict between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud." I explain to him. "The conflict ended and an ambassador from the Cloud Village came to Konoha to celebrate the peace treaty." I explain.

He nods.

"I am well aware of that conflict and its resolution." He tells me. "What I do not understand is what could cause your apprehension."

"Well…" I continue. "The night after the treaty was signed, that Cloud ninja ambassador broke into the Hyuga mansion, and kidnapped me from my crib." I explain to him. "With my father dead, my grandmother was busy, so I was relatively unguarded." I continue. "However, Hizashi Hyuga, then leader of the 6th branch house spotted the ninja leaving, and assassinated him, saving me in the process."

"I see…" The boy begins, silent a moment. "What happened as a result of this incident?"

"It was made public that my uncle killed the ninja after he trespassed onto private property, and the cloud village demanded the return of the ambassador's body. They also demanded the body of my grandmother, wanting to hold her responsible for the death of their ninja. However, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have it, saying that their ninja had broken Konoha's laws, and been dealt with in Konoha." I recount to him. "He offered to return the body of the ninja, but would not hand over either Hizashi or Grandmother Hibana." I explain. "The Cloud reluctantly agreed to that. It wasn't until later that grandmother told me of the incident, she believes the ninja kidnapped me on orders, so the Hidden Cloud could learn the secret of the Byakugan."

"If they desired the secret to your clan's kekkei genkai, why not simply demand the body of Hizashi Hyuga, since he was responsible for the death of their shinobi?"

_So, he doesn't know…_

"Hizashi is a part of the branch family, which means he bears a curse mark on his forehead." I explain. "The main house has branded all members of the branch families with the mark to protect the secret of the Byakugan. With the seal on their head, should a branch family member die, the seal with activate, turning their brain into little more then pink colored water."

"Hmm…" He says, making no other outward expression.

"So, I take it Neji of Team Gai is a member of one of the branch families?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yes, Neji-nii-san is a member of the first branch house, and son of Uncle Hizashi…"

I see the boy blink behind the sunglasses.

"Wait…" He says. "You said in your explanation of the incident in the Hidden Cloud that Hizashi was from the 6th branch family, if Neji is his son, should Neji also be a member of the 6th house?"

"After the incident with the cloud, Grandmother promoted Uncle Hizashi and his family to the lead of the branch houses." I clarify. "It was a reward for saving my life, though grandmother believes him to desire the power of the Main House, and the entire clan itself…"

"If he is a member of the branch house, wouldn't he be unable to take possession of the entire clan?"

I nod.

"In a normal situation, you're correct; he'd be unable to assume control of the clan." I explain to him "However, because my father died in the battle with the Kyuubi, and my grandmother had only one child, when my grandmother dies, my uncle will gain temporary control of the entire clan." I continue. "That will end once the village council recognizes my growth into the role of clan leader, but grandmother believes Hizashi will kill me once grandmother dies, eliminating the entire main house. As per clan bylaws, the 1st branch house will become the new main house, with Hizashi becoming the permanent clan leader."

"I see…" The boy says again. "Now I understand your grandmother's request to Naruto and I during the dinner we had together." He tells me. "She distrusts this Hizashi, and wishes for Naruto and I to look out for you until you're able to take permanent control of your clan."

I nod solemnly.

"Yes, I'm afraid that once my grandmother dies, I will need both you and Naruto to do as much as you can to protect me. Grandmother honestly fears for my life, and Uncle Hizashi looks at me like I am an eyesore. I don't doubt that he would have me killed to gain control of the entire clan."

"From what you have just told me, I believe it safe to assume that Naruto would comment that your family 'sucks' Hinata." Shino comments to me.

I feel a giggle escape my lips at the boy's use of such 'low brow' language.

"Is something humorous?" He asks, returning to the flat, unemotional tone I'm used to hearing from him.

I shake my head, unable to suppress a smile.

"It's just so different to hear you speak in such a manner, Shino…" I explain to him. "I never thought I'd hear you talk like that."

The boy pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I believe it would be prudent for you to begin running your separators, lest Kurenai-sensei believe that neither of us did as she instructed."

I nod, turning away from the boy and looking toward the three lines cut into the ground.

"Thank you for listening to me Shino, I realize my answer may've been longer then you wanted." I confess to him, preparing to begin the run.

"I thank you for answering my inquiry fully and completely."

I take off into a run, beginning to run the exercise…

An hour later, near 2 o clock in the afternoon, I lie on the ground, my legs screaming at me once again. Shino lies next to me in a similar position. Though I still wear the weights, I don't want to move to remove them…

My stomach heaves up and down, and my breathing is ragged.

_I don't think I could run another step…_

My muscles burn, my breathing is an attempt by my body to try and consume massive amounts of oxygen to get the resource to my muscles. I can feel the grass against my back, and normally I'd care about the bugs that live in grass crawling on me, but I honestly don't care at this point…

The sounds of feet crushing grass pulls me from my daze. I look to see Kurenai-sensei and Naruto walking toward us. I see my teacher smile at the scene before her, Naruto looking drained, as though he's been put through his paces…

Yet, I see a slight smile on his face, a similar expression in Kurenai's as well…

_What are they smiling at?_

"Well, you two look like you've seen better days…" Kurenai points out.

I manage to sit up, wincing at my body's protests to the movement. I notice Shino doesn't move, apparently in worse shape then I am.

"We each performed the exercise until we were both unable to run any longer, Kurenai-sensei." I report to her.

I see her nod her head.

"I can see that, you both look physically exhausted." She observes. "You both should get a good night's rest tonight, so you're ready for our mission tomorrow."

At this, I see Shino sit up. He moves slowly, but the boy still makes it to a sitting posture.

"Sensei, I must question your logic in drilling us in such a difficult maneuver the day before we undertake a difficult mission?"

I see Naruto concentrate for a moment, trying to find the question in Shino's words…

_It does take getting used to, I'll admit that. Even then, if it weren't for Grandmother raising me to learn to speak at formal dinners with dignitaries and 'important' people then I wouldn't understand half of the things he says…_

"I can understand your concern Shino, and your question is valid." Kurenai responds. "The reason I drilled you both in this stressful exercise is because both of you, for some reason or another, are physically inferior to Naruto." She explains. "Without chakra, neither of you would be able to fight against him in an all out fight." She tells us. "Naruto, on the other hand, has the worst chakra control of the three of you. Though for a Genin, his skills are commendable. The two of you however, have above average chakra control for Genin. Hinata, your skills comes from your Gentle Fist training, Shino your skill comes from feeding your chakra to your insects. You learned to supply them with only what they need, that way you have energy to spare."

He nods, though I see him cross his arms, moving his legs to a cross legged position.

"That does not explain why you chose this day for us to perform these exercises." He counters. "Surely these drills could've waited until after our mission?"

For a moment, Kurenai says nothing. She looks at Shino, and then to me. I see her eyes shift to Naruto, looking at him for the briefest of moments. In her eyes I see indecision, as though some decision was being debated in her mind.

Finally, after a few heartbeats, the indecision disappears.

"I didn't want to tell you three this until later, but seeing as how we have an extended mission coming up, it can't be helped…" She begins. "The Chunin exams are coming up soon, and the three of you qualify to participate." She explains. "While it is my choice whether or not you three are allowed to take the exam, I believe the three of you would want to take the test, rather then wait 6 more months." She continues. "Am I incorrect in assuming that?"

I nod, looking to my teammates. I see both Shino and Naruto nod their agreements to our teacher.

"I wish to take the examination…" Shino says.

"I do as well…" I say.

Naruto grins.

"Of course I wanna take the exam!" Naruto says. "It'll be fun, and I'll get to show everyone just what I can do!"

Kurenai looks to him, and I see her shake her head.

"The exams are a serious test Naruto." She explains. "If you aren't careful, the exam can kill you."

I see him look reflective, and then he nods solemnly.

"I understand Kurenai-sensei…" He says.

She clears her throat.

"Since the exams are so close, I want the three of you to improve as much as you can in the time you have." She tells us. "I've heard that Kakashi and Asuma plan on allowing their students to take the test, and I don't think they're as prepared as you three."

I feel a blush appear on my face.

"Your vote of confidence is appreciated, Kurenai-sensei." Shino says.

Naruto grins.

"That's cool Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto exclaims.

"Thank you for your encouragement, Kurenai-sensei." I say.

"Well, now that we're all together again, I'd say it's time the three of you worked on chakra development." She says. "It's a low impact exercise that will help you all in the long run."

"All right, Kurenai-sensei…" I agree.

Both boys nod their agreement.

Chakra development is an easy thing; it simply involves focus and concentration, drawing more of the energy from your body and your spirit, combining the two to form chakra. The two main parts of increasing one's chakra capacity are increasing physical ability, and mental clarity. Both Shino and I have been working on the physical portion of chakra development, and Naruto wears the training weights like I do. Now, all that I have to do is work on the spiritual part of chakra, and my total chakra will increase…

I make a hand sign, clearing my mind of all thought. I see both Naruto and Shino do the same, Kurenai-sensei watching the three of us.

20 minutes pass before I see Naruto begin to fidget from boredom. I watch his body shift and move, telling me he isn't really focusing. Though I don't say anything, instead I focus on my own chakra development. After nearly an hour, Kurenai speaks up.

"Now that I see how the three of you act during this meditation, I think another exercise is in order." She says.

She motions for the three of us to stand. The three of us follow her lead, and I get to my feet. She takes three steps away from me, turning to face Naruto Shino and me.

"I suppose I'll teach the three of you a new technique." She says. "This one's another ninjutsu that will serve you well during your time as a Shinobi."

I see Naruto's eyes light up.

"What's the new technique, Kurenai-sensei?" He asks.

"This is a fire element technique, so you have to be careful with it." She tells us. "It's good when you're stuck in the wild, and don't have any supplies." She explains. "It's called Fire Release: Flickering Flame."

She makes a set of hand signs, and then stops with the sign of the tiger. She extends her right hand, moving her left hand so she holds her right wrist in her left hand.

A flame sparks above her hand, a small flame not six inches tall. She holds the technique for a few moments, then the flame flickers and burns out.

"You have to focus chakra on your hand, and then quickly grind it against itself to create a spark." She explains. "Once you create the spark, you simply maintain a steady flow of chakra into your hand to maintain the flame."

The three of us nod, and I see Naruto grin.

"All right, got it Kurenai-sensei!" He says.

The three of us go to work. Surprisingly, I see Naruto is the first to create a stable flame on his right hand. It only takes him 10 minutes to create the technique, and I see Naruto grin the entire time.

"I knew I could get this…" He says, the flame burning out a moment later.

"Good job, Naruto…" I praise him.

"Your success in this technique is impressive, Naruto." Shino comments on Naruto's success.

Both Shino and I continue to work on the technique. I feel a strange sensation of Naruto watching me, instead of the other way around. I work at the technique for 2 hours. The entire time, I feel a strange sensation when I attempt to manipulate fire based chakra. Grinding the chakra together, I can feel a spark begin to form on my hand. However, when I attempt to stoke the fire and fuel it, I feel the spark fizzle out. Standing there, focusing my chakra again and again, with each attempt fizzling out, I feel frustration form in my mind.

_Why can't I do this? It doesn't make any sense. My chakra control is excellent, and I'm doing everything just like Kurenai-sensei explained it…_

I look to see Shino holding a small flame in his right hand. The fire flickers, growing larger and smaller. I see the boy eying the fire, using his chakra to manipulate the size of the small flame, seeing what happens when he increases the chakra. I don't know what result he's looking for, but Kurenai-sensei clears her throat loudly. The flame in Shino's hand burns out while his attention shifts to our teacher. My eyes move to Kurenai-sensei as well.

"I can see that most of you have mastered this technique, though Hinata's trouble no doubt bothers both of you, doesn't it Shino and Naruto?" She asks.

I look to see both of my teammates nod their agreements.

"I've been watching her, and I no have no idea why she can't seem to get it." Naruto says. "She's performing the technique perfectly, but she can't get the spark to ignite…"

Shino just nods his head.

I see my teacher reach into her white robes. She grasps something there, withdrawing a small piece of paper.

"What is that, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asks.

"Hinata, come here and touch this for me." She asks me.

I nod, walking toward my teacher. I reach out, touching the paper with my right hand.

"Now, push a little chakra from your hand into the paper." She tells me.

I do so, and before my eyes the paper gets wet from out of nowhere. The paper falls, going limp in her hands.

"As I thought…" She mutters.

She crinkles the paper into a ball and pockets it. I stand there dumbfounded when she looks to me.

"The reason you're having such trouble with this technique is because you have a chakra affinity for water, Hinata." She explains to all of us.

"My chakra affinity…?" I ask, and she nods.

"You were all taught about elemental chakra at the academy, weren't you?" She asks all of us.

"A little…" I respond.

"Well, what do you know?"

"Um, there are five types of elemental chakra, each one attached to a natural element in nature…" I explain to her.

She mumbles an affirmative.

"That's true, but there's much more then just that." She pauses. "You three should sit down, I'll give you a little history lesson and a lesson on elemental chakra."

The three of us move to an appropriate spot on the grass. Both Shino and Naruto sit down, and I follow suit. Kurenai takes a seat in front of us, crossing her legs a moment after she sits down.

"Now, elemental chakra was first created by the Priest of Six Paths." She begins her explanation. "It was his unique ability to control the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and lightning that allowed him to create the first ninjutsu." She continues. "With those elements, he created the ninja world we all live in."

"What about chakra affinity?" I ask. "You mentioned that earlier."

"The Priest of Six Paths was capable of using all elemental types, but normal people are incapable of doing the same thing." She explains to us. "Each person is born with a natural affinity toward a certain element. While it is possible for someone to learn techniques not of their affinity, it is harder to learn techniques of the opposite element they have an affinity for."

"Oh, so Hinata was having trouble with this fire technique because she has an affinity for water?" Naruto asks, our teacher nodding, smiling at the boy.

"That's exactly correct, Naruto." She praises him.

"Now, that being said, do you understand why you had a problem mastering the Mud Wall, Naruto?" Kurenai asks.

"Um, because I've got a chakra affinity that doesn't work well with earth element chakra…?" He asks her.

She tilts her head.

"While I do not know what your affinity is Naruto, I would hypothesize it is either wind or lightning, since neither of those elements work well with Earth based techniques. It is a testament to your ability that you eventually gained use of the Mud wall."

I see the boy grin.

"Thanks, sensei…" He says with a smile.

"Now…" She begins, calling our attention back to her. "Most Genin cannot use fire element techniques, because most fire based techniques have very high chakra consumption, and require larger reserves of chakra to be used more then once." She explains. "The Fire Release: Flickering Flame is the one exception to this rule, since it was designed to be a low cost, multi use technique not meant for use in combat." She further explains. "Many Jounin don't even bother teaching it, preferring their students rely on tools to help them on the battlefield. I don't agree with this practice, because you can never know what will happen on a mission or on the battlefield. Knowing this technique could save one of your lives on a cold winter night on the battlefield."

The three of us nod our understanding. A solemn air has formed between us, though Kurenai begins speaking again.

"The use of elemental chakra can be strenuous on a person's body, and can be fatal if you don't think about the effects of your techniques." She lectures us. "For example, a shinobi once was in a match for a Chunin exam, he was a Hidden Mist ninja. The Hidden Mist ninja knew how to create a small body of water that could be used as fuel for his techniques. He even went so far as to stand on this water most of the match, allowing him to create a wall of water to defend himself." She recounts. "However, his opponent realized that a lightning based technique could effectively end the match, seeing as how he constantly used the water for both offense and defense, with his feet always touching it. The Hidden Mist ninja attacked using a water element technique, and his opponent countered with a lightning based attack, aiming for the water the Mist ninja was using for an attack. Can any of you tell me how the match ended?"

"Um, the lightning attack conducted through the water, and shocked the Mist ninja?" I speak up.

"Exactly…" The Jounin agrees. "What fatal mistake did the Mist Genin make when he fought in the match?"

"He relied far too heavily on a single ability, and did not surmise that you possessed a lightning based technique that you could utilize to strike him." Shino says, insinuating that Kurenai was the opposing shinobi in the story. "He also erred in constantly standing on his water source, creating an open conductor for your lightning technique. Had he stood on the ground or floor, he would've been grounded, and therefore your technique would've had very little effect."

"Why do you assume I'm the other shinobi in the story?" Kurenai asks.

"It is unlikely you would use an example of strategy that you were not involved in." Shino explains. "You wish to teach us that every element has an advantage and a disadvantage, therefore we should never rely on one element, as the Hidden Mist Genin did."

She nods.

"While I won't say if you're correct in your theory about me, I will tell you that you are correct in my lesson. A shinobi can never rely on a single element, or technique. Doing that breeds weakness, as no jutsu or element is omnipotent. Every technique has a weakness, rely too heavily on it, and your opponent will find the weakness and exploit it."

There's a long silence between us after that while Naruto, Shino and I all absorb the information given to us by our teacher.

After that long moment, Naruto is the first to speak.

"So, sensei, does that mean that you know a jutsu that's based in each of the five elements?" Naruto asks.

I see Kurenai smile, nodding to her student.

"Yes, my sensei was a fervent believer in strategy and tactics." She explains. "Even though I'm a genjutsu type, she made me learn at least 1 offensive jutsu from each of the five elements." Kurenai continues. "It was one of the hardest trails she ever put us through, and it took me nearly a year to master all five of the techniques she taught us."

"Um, sensei, who was your sensei, you said it was a woman, and I'm just curious about her."

I see my teacher's face become soft, filled with happiness at the memory of her former teacher.

"Her name was Haruka Uchiha." She reveals to us. "She was one of the best people I've ever known…"

_She was an Uchiha, like a part of the same family as that pile of angst Sasuke? It's well known that the Uchiha clan was wiped out by one of their own, it's known as the darkest day in the village since the Kyuubi attack. The last one left in the village is Sasuke, though no one seems to know why the traitor Itachi left him alive when he killed all the others. I heard that Sasuke sort of lost touch with reality that day, and he hasn't been the same. I don't know how he feels, my father died the day I was born, and while my grandmother has been there, she's never allowed me to develop a strong bond with her. She's supported me, and she's taught me, but grandmother Hibana has NEVER been a parent first, a teacher second…_

"Um, your sensei was an Uchiha?" Naruto asks our teacher. "Like, someone from Sasuke's clan?"

Kurenai nods.

"Yes, Haruka and Sasuke are related, though not directly like siblings or parents." She explains to us. "Their relationship is similar to how Hinata and Neji of Team Gai are related. While they share no immediate siblings, if you go back in the family tree far enough, you will find a common ancestor."

I see Naruto nod, Shino merely remains quiet.

_Although, I don't think the Uchiha clan was anything like my family. In my family, we brand people with curse marks and threaten to kill them if they don't obey. If you think about it, it's surprising someone from the Hyuga clan hasn't lost their grip on reality and done the same thing this Itachi did…_

"So, this Haruka…" I begin. "She knew a lot of techniques, because of her Sharingan?" I ask.

_Grandmother taught me about the Uchiha when I was younger, before they were wiped out. She told me all about their dojutsu, the Sharingan, or Pin Wheel Eye. It's supposed to allow them to analyze a person's ninjutsu, genjutsu or taijutsu and mimic it in a moment. It's also supposed to allow one of them to predict their opponent's movements before they happen. Though, grandmother says the Sharingan isn't as powerful as our Byakugan. I personally don't know if I agree with that or not, I've never seen an Uchiha fight using their kekkei genkai before…_

I see my teacher nod solemnly.

"Yes, Haruka possessed a Sharingan, just like other Uchiha." She tells us. "However, Haruka was one of the rare few Uchiha who could teach others what she learned, both with and without her bloodline limit." Kurenai explains. "Because of that, Haruka was looked at as one of the best Jounin teachers in the village, and her students almost always made Jounin. I was very lucky to be her student."

"What happened to her, sensei?" Naruto asks. "Did she die when that Itachi guy went bonkers?"

Kurenai nods again, a depression forming in the air around her.

"Haruka was killed that day…" She responds. "She died shortly after the Chunin exams, after I was promoted to Chunin. After that happened, our squad was disbanded, and I began to work with other Chunin, eventually I became an instructor at the academy, teaching genjutsu until a year ago." She explains. "During my time at the academy, I took the Jounin exam and passed it, though I didn't take on a team of Genin until after I left."

"So, we're your first squad of students?" Naruto asks.

Kurenai shakes her head.

"No, you're my second group." She admits.

"What happened to the first? Do I know any of them?"

She shakes her head slowly.

"They were all killed, a botched mission that shouldn't have happened…" Her voice is now barely audible to us sitting less then 4 feet away from her.

_They all died, that's horrible…_

I see Naruto's face contort, the boy instantly realizing that he shouldn't have asked the question.

"Um, I'm sorry sensei." Naruto says, bowing his head to her. "I shouldn't have asked you about your former team…"

The red eyed woman shakes her head, wiping tears from the edges of her eyes.

"It's all right Naruto, if I didn't want you to know, I would've told you so." She explains, rubbing the boy on the head, mussing his hair. "You three are good students, and I'm sure that you'll all surpass my old squad and go on to glory of your own." She tells us happily.

I take that moment to look down at my watch, seeing it's already past five o clock in the afternoon.

_We've been talking like this for that long…_

I hear a sound that sounds like a stomach growling. A moment later I see Naruto put his hand over his stomach, grinning in embarrassment.

"I guess it's getting close to dinner time." Naruto admits. "Sorry about that…"

Kurenai waves her hand dismissively.

"We're done for the day today." Kurenai comments to us. "I believe the three of you are all smarter, better shinobi then you were this morning." She explains to us. "Remember; report back to the Hokage's tower tomorrow at 9 am for our mission escorting the cloud ambassador." She reminds us.

I nod, though I can't help feeling dread at the thought of escorting someone from the cloud village to the border.

"You three are dismissed, you should all get some dinner and then get some rest, you each put in a good day today, and we've got a mission tomorrow, ESPECIALLY you, Naruto…" She says, glaring at the blonde boy.

I see him scratch the back of his head.

"I know sensei." He tells her. "I'm not going out training tonight anyway."

"Well…" She begins, standing up. "I'm heading home. I suggest the three of you do the same."

With that, our teacher walks away from us, leaving the three of us at the training ground alone.

I stand up, walking to my backpack and picking it up. Putting the pack on, I turn to see both Naruto and Shino standing as well.

"You two feel like grabbing a snack together?" Naruto asks. "I know that we've all got dinner waiting, but I'm as hungry as a hostage."

I feel myself lightly giggle at Naruto's metaphor.

"A small portion of nourishment would provide energy for our bodies to repair themselves." Shino points out.

_He can never just say 'I'd like a snack…' _

"I'd like that." I agree.

Naruto grins.

"Okay then, I got a perfect place we can go!"

&

10 minutes later, the three of hold thin wooden sticks with darkly colored dumplings skewered on them. Each of us holds a disposable cup of herbal tea meant to accent the flavor of the dumplings.

"I heard all about this place from Mom, she says they've got great food." Naruto explains to us.

The three of us walk down the street, with Naruto on my left and Shino on my right. I enjoy the company of my two friends, for once I don't think about the glares of the people passing by.

"The flavor in these dumplings is rather pleasing to palette." Shino comments on the flavor of the food. "The tea also compliments the flavor rather well."

"I agree." I say, taking another bite of the dumpling on a stick.

I barely notice the dark haired woman walk by, but the bright yellow trench coat makes it hard to miss her. She wears fishnets over her entire body, a skirt like garment covering her hips and crotch. The jacket appears to be the only thing covering her breasts, though it barely does that. Her hair is tied up on the top of her head, very spiky and dark. She wears a headband from our village, with open toed shoes and white shin guards that protect everything from her knee on down.

I don't see either Naruto or Shino look at the woman, not paying her any mind.

_I guess she must be heading to the shop to buy something. I don't know who she is, but she looks like some sort of strumpet, dressed like that…_

"I knew you guys would like it." Naruto says. "Mom isn't the type to lie about food."

"How is your parental situation, Naruto?" Shino asks, rarely ever openly asking about anything.

The boy looks a little surprised.

"Huh, you mean how are things going with mom and dad?" He asks.

Shino nods his head.

"I only inquire because of the dinner we had with your family. I got the distinct impression that your parents had both become rather busy since you entered the academy. However, now I believe their priorities have changed."

Naruto nods.

"Mom and dad did kinda disappear once I got into the academy, but that's different now." He says with a smile. "A few days ago they just up and changed, and got involved with me again. I don't know why, but they talked to me like they knew how I felt, and they didn't want me to feel that way anymore." He explains to us. "So, I guess my 'parental situation' as you called it, is improving a lot Shino." Naruto finishes.

The boy uses his pinky finger to push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I see… I am happy for you, Naruto." The Aburame responds.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you interested Shino?" Naruto asks, his voice not showing a hint or anger or offense. "I mean, I thought you really wouldn't care about my life…"

"I am not one to stand idly by and watch a comrade suffer, either from physical or mental wounds." Shino responds with an even voice. "You possessed none of the negative emotions at the family dinner we had with your parents. I simply wanted to inquire what had caused the change."

_So, they didn't do what they did with me, even though they said they would…_

"Well…" The blonde boy begins. "Thanks for your concern, but things are getting better, so you don't have to be concerned anymore."

"That is good…" He says, taking a bite of the dumpling.

"Yeah…" Naruto begins, and I see him looking at me. "Hina-chan, can I ask what's bothering you, or is it some Hyuga family business?" He asks out of nowhere.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"What makes you think I'm bothered by anything, Naruto?" I ask, trying to control my blush at his calling me 'Hina-chan.'

"Well, when Kurenai-sensei talked about meeting the cloud ambassador, it was like your attitude changed." He explains. "I don't know how to describe it…"

"The Hyuga clan has had a previous negative experience with the Hidden Cloud village." Shino says matter of factly.

Naruto looks to the boy, a surprised expression on his face.

"What do you mean they've had a negative previous experience?"

"Hinata, would you rather I tell him, or do you wish to?" Shino asks, looking at me, curiosity apparent in his voice.

"Tell me what?" Naruto demands. He looks between Shino and me for answers.

"When I was an infant, there was a conflict with the hidden cloud." I explain to him, repeating the story. "When the conflict ended, a ninja from the Cloud came to sign the peace treaty. There was a celebration that heralded his arrival. The treaty was signed and everyone was happy. However, that night he stole away from his room and snuck into the Hyuga mansion. He kidnapped me from my crib and tried to get away. However, a member of the branch family spotted him, and killed the ninja, saving me from whatever the Hidden Cloud had planned for me."

"Why would they try and kidnap you?" Naruto asks.

"The Byakugan…" Shino answers for me. "For many generations, the Hyuga has been a prominent clan in our village, and well known in other shinobi villages." He explains to Naruto. "The major reason behind their prominence is the Byakugan and the visual ability it gives them. Were the secret of the Byakugan to fall into another's hands, the Hyuga clan could be crushed, and a major part of Konoha's power destroyed."

"Oh…" Naruto says in understanding. "I never knew…" He informs me.

"We were young when that incident occurred Naruto." Shino tells him. "It was also the day after a peace treaty had been signed. It's no wonder that the incident was quickly covered up and forgotten. The people of Konoha did not want or need another war, so the incident was handled in secret."

Naruto looks to me, and I nod my affirmation.

"Shino's right, the people were weary from the flames of war, and no one wanted to go to war because **I** was kidnapped." I explain.

"Well, that's just messed up…" Naruto points out.

"I concur…" Shino agrees.

&

Shino, Naruto and I go our separate ways shortly afterward. I return to the Hyuga home and eat dinner with my grandmother. I keep quiet about the details about the mission, just telling her that I have another extended mission to go on tomorrow, and I would hopefully be back within the week. She seems to accept that, telling me to do my best and to not bring shame to the Hyuga clan.

After dinner, I take a long bath, and then I go to my room. Sitting on my bed, I meditate, using the exercise to calm my mind and help to work on my spiritual energy. I think about what my teacher told me and what I learned this day while I meditate.

_The Chunin exams are coming up soon, that means I'm gonna have to increase the weight in my weights. I have to be as strong and as fast as I can be when I take the exam. Plus, this thing with the cloud ambassador, I'm going to have to be careful. I don't know if the Cloud Village could be attempting another kidnapping, or if this is just a normal escort mission. The only thing I do know is I do not trust ANYONE from that village. If that ambassador shows even the slightest sign of treachery, I'll show her just how powerful the Gentle Fist is…_

That night, I drift off to sleep. I find myself standing before the bars, the Kyuubi No Kitsune sealed behind them.

"What do you want?" I ask, glaring at the large ominous red eyes of the demon behind the bars.

No longer am I surprised or afraid of this thing sealed inside of me. At first, I thought it may try to kill me, but I know now that if it does kill me, it will die as well…

"Your thoughts swirl with anger and hatred and of a Cloud Village…" It says from behind the bars. "Tell me, do you desire to take this ambassador's life when you see her?"

"If she betrays Konoha, I won't hesitate to kill her."

I see a toothy grin flash in the Kyuubi's mouth.

"Good…" It mutters. "VERY good…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Of Leaves and Clouds

(Well, this is Chapter 8, and you've stayed with me. I have no idea how, but you have. The Chunin exams are close, and I'm sure you're all looking forward to them. I got some constructive criticism, and most of it was about references to religious deities or religions. Since they never really specify any religion in the Universe other then Hidans, I don't want to say 'thank god' because that's got Christen overtones. Anyway, it's just a thing I think I should I do. They say 'Kami' in Japanese, if you don't like what I say, you're free to copy/paste and find and replace. Sorry... Oh yeah, keep the reviews coming, I'll keep reading, and thank you for the kind words so far.)

Chapter 8: Of Leaves and Clouds

I rose at 6:30 the next morning. I took a quick shower, packed my things into the hiking backpack I take on extended missions. After the shower, I dress, pack and triple checked my supplies before closing the backpack. Knowing that we're going on an extended mission, I don't make any lunch boxes for my teammates.

_Though, they'd probably eat them if I brought them…_

I leave my room, walking through the halls of the place that has been my home; I stop by my grandmother's chamber. Opening the door only a crack, I say a farewell through the barrier and then start off again. Walking through the halls, I see Neji-nii-san walking the other way. The older boy spies my backpack, glaring at me for a moment. Then, he turns his head away from me when we pass each other, and I get the distinct impression he did not want me to say a morning greeting to him…

_If what grandmother told me is true, then his father is out to take over the clan, and I'm standing in the way of that…_

Leaving the Hyuga home, I walk toward the Hokage's tower. Normally I'd walk toward training ground number 8, but since we're meeting the ambassador at 9 am, there's little point in my going there.

_Especially considering our normal meeting time is 9 anyway, and Kurenai told us to come to the tower._

The closer I get to the tower, the more people I see in the early morning. All of them glare at me like I'm a monster, though without Shino and Naruto to return the looks, I just duck my head, looking at the ground in front of me. Walking toward the Hokage's tower, I suddenly feel very small and vulnerable, no longer having the support of my two teammates, my friends, walking next to me…

_What a pathetic person I am. I'm the heir to the main house of the Hyuga clan, and yet I avoid the LOOKS of normal civilians when I should be returning them. I'm supposed to be a member of this highborn clan, like I'm better than everyone else. Grandmother Hibana seems to think that the Hyuga are the most powerful family in the village, and that Konoha couldn't survive without them._

Before I realize it, I'm at the Hokage's tower. I head toward the Hokage's office, the atmosphere here more professional then the one in the streets. I walk with my head held high to the Fourth's office. Seeing the door open, I walk inside. In the room I see Kurenai-sensei standing there, a backpack lying near her propped against a nearby wall. She stands on this side of the Fourth's desk, her arms crossed over her chest.

Immediately, I see her turn and look at me a moment, and then look back toward the Hokage.

"We'll…discuss this matter further when I get back, Lord Hokage…" She says with a tone of displeasure to her voice.

The Hokage on the other hand, appears to be all business.

"We will do just that, Kurenai." He tells her.

In all the time I've spent with Minato Namikaze, I've only rarely see him speak in such a grave, serious tone. The most recent time I can think of is when Naruto decked the Chunin guard outside his office, when Minato yelled his son's name and then demanded an explanation.

"Is something the matter?" I ask. "If you want, I can wait in the hall while you two continue talking. I didn't mean to intrude."

The Fourth waves his hand dismissively.

"No Hinata, we're done talking for now, you don't have to go wait in the hall." He tells me.

I see my sensei nod.

"Yes, our discussion can wait until after we complete our mission Hinata." Kurenai agrees with him.

I look to my teacher, and then to the ninja leader. Judging from the way the two of them are acting, I can only draw one conclusion…

_Whatever they were talking about, it has something to do with me. Otherwise, there's no other reason they wouldn't just send me into the hall while they finished. Whatever is going on here, something's happening and they aren't telling me about it and it doesn't look as though Kurenai-sensei is pleased with what they were talking about…_

I barely notice Naruto and Shino enter the office wearing their packs as well.

"It would appear as though all your students have gathered, Kurenai." Minato points out.

The dark haired woman nods, though I can still see the anger in her body language.

_What is she so angry about? I've hardly ever seen her show so much emotion before, and now she looks like she's pissed to the point of fuming…_

The Fourth Hokage clears his throat.

"You can bring in our guest…" He tells the Chunin in the hall.

A few moments later, a rather regal looking woman appears in the doorway. The woman is dressed in black clothes, with long dark hair. Her hair is cut short at her bangs, which hang above her eyes. Her eyes are blue, a contrast to her dark hair. She wears a long sleeved black shirt that appears to be made of silk. She wears a long skirt that hangs down to her feet, matching the color of her shirt. Around her waist she wears a plain black belt. From what I can see of her form, she's a well-endowed woman with a very slender form. On her back, she has strapped a small backpack that I assume is for the trip to the border.

I see her eye the four of us, and then her eyes drift to the Hokage.

"Are you giving me these KIDS as my escort?" The woman demands. "Are you looking to start a war with my country?" She demands.

"Not at all…" The Fourth Hokage explains. "This team of Genin before you is comprised of three genin from extremely prominent families." He explains to the ambassador.

The woman looks at the three of us again. I see her eyes flicker across the three of us, her eyes resting on me for a long moment.

I feel myself unconsciously swallow the saliva in my mouth. I hear the sound of the gulp resonate in my own ears louder then even the woman's yelling voice.

_Does she recognize my eyes? I know that the Hyuga clan is well known to even people outside the village. If she recognizes me as a member of the Hyuga clan, the one the Cloud Village attempted to kidnap earlier…_

For only a brief moment her eyes rest on me, and then I see her gaze shift to Naruto. After she takes the blonde son of the Fourth Hokage in, her eyes shift to the village leader.

"The blonde one, he's your son, is he not?" The girl asks in a clipped, almost arrogant tone.

Something about the way she speaks is familiar to me, though I can't quite place it…

"Yes, Naruto is my son." Minato confirms for her. "Futhermore, Kurenai is one of my best Jounin, and her team is more then capable."

"I see…" The ambassador responds. "I find it rather odd that you're only supplying a team of genin for my escort, considering who I am…" The woman says, not even attempting to conceal the arrogance in her voice and her posture.

It is that next moment that Kurenai-sensei chooses to speak up.

"And just WHO are you, woman?" Kurenai asks with more then a hint of disrespect in her voice.

I see the woman smirk, either she didn't catch the disrespect in Kurenai's voice, or is too full of herself to notice, I don't know which…

"My name is Nanoka Temura, but the four of you will call me Temura-sama." She informs the four of us in a bold declaration.

"Until the time that you can transfer custody of Temura-san to a group of Hidden Cloud Ninja at the border with the land of lightning, she is your responsibility." Minato explains. "Should anything happen to her while she is within the land of fire, you four will be held responsible."

I swallow the saliva in my throat. The implications of what the Fourth Hokage just said dawning on me…

I barely see Kurenai glance from the ambassador to her Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, I must again protest our assignment to this mission." Kurenai says with no regard for the woman's presence. "My Genin have more important things to do then baby sit a stuck up, serpent tongued, arrogant woman from another country."

I look from the Hokage to the ambassador, seeing a look of utter disbelief on the ambassador's face. Judging from her reaction, the woman from the land of lightning cannot believe what she just heard…

For a long moment, everyone in the room, Hokage included, is silent.

"Are you being insubordinate Kurenai?" Minato asks, a calm even edge to his voice.

The red-eyed woman shakes her head.

"I am merely being truthful, Lord Hokage." Kurenai responds. "My team and I truly do have better, more productive things we could be doing with the next three days then having to listen to that woman speak down to us the entire way to the border with the land of lightning!" Kurenai explains, pointing to Nanoka when she says 'that woman.'

"How dare you…!" Nanoka begins her tone one of extreme offense. "I am a diplomat from the land of lightning, one of the most powerful nations in the world. What I say can determine whether or not a war begins, and you speak to ME in such a manner?"

I see Kurenai-sensei shift her gaze from the Hokage to the ambassador. I see my teacher glaring daggers toward the ambassador, her anger and hatred apparent in her eyes.

"How dare YOU!" Kurenai begins, turning to face the woman fully. "You come here acting as though your village is noble and proud, when in reality you and your people are nothing but traitorous snakes!" She declares to the ambassador.

Needless to say, Nanoka looks taken aback.

"You have no idea who I am…" She begins angrily, but Kurenai cuts her off.

"I don't care who you are!" Kurenai boldly declares. "After knowing you for 2 minutes, I know enough about you that you're absolutely worthless!" She continues. "You're cut from the same cloth as all the other worthless, ignorant people that are from that country." She vents. "It was your people that were willing to kidnap an INFANT child, why? All so you and your people could learn the secret of the Byakugan, so you could neutralize the Hyuga clan and their abilities, and destroy OUR village!"

"What are you talking about?" Nanoka demands, her tone clearly clueless.

I see my teacher's hand extend, pointing right to me between my two teammates.

"THAT GIRL...!" Kurenai screams in bloodlust at the woman. I see Nanoka unconsciously shift a half step back. "She is the daughter of the Hyuga clan, heir to their main house, and was an infant the last time one of you people was in our village." Kurenai explains to her. "Your ambassador snuck out from his accommodations and broke into the Hyuga mansion, taking her from her crib. It was only because of her own family that your operative didn't succeed. So, as far as I'm concerned, you can go rot in the deepest, darkest depths of the underworld." Kurenai finishes, much of the anger vented from her during the speech.

I see the ambassador's gaze shift toward me. Once her eyes lock on me, I see both Naruto and Shino shift. Both boys move, putting themselves between the ambassador and me without a single word. I see Shino's hands have left his pockets, and Naruto's arms are out in a spread eagle sort of pose, like a movie hero protecting the damsel from harm…

_Shino, Naruto…_

I don't know what to say with both boys standing there, between the ambassador and me. While I bear no fear of the older, dark haired woman from the land of lightning, I do fear what her people might be capable of should they spot us before we reach the border with her country.

"You think I would go so far to come here for peace talks, and then arrange for my escort team to be Genin, just to get another crack at that girl?" Nanoka demands, her eyes returning to our teacher. "If I had a choice, I would be escorted by a team of ANBU operatives, not 3 children and a self righteous woman!" Nanoka shoots back.

Kurenai opens her mouth to argue, but the Fourth Hokage clears his throat, rather loudly in fact.

Both the attention of the two women, as well as the three Genin in the room shifts toward the ninja leader. He still sits behind his desk, though an air of annoyance has formed around him.

"Ladies, as you both know, I am a busy man, and this arguing between you two will get you nowhere." He says.

At this, both Kurenai-sensei and Nanoka seem to agree.

"I wholeheartedly agree, Lord Hokage." Kurenai responds first. "So, assign this woman four of your ANBU, and my squad and I can do something productive for the village."

The Fourth shakes his head.

"You know I cannot spare any ANBU Kurenai, as much as you may desire them Nanoka." Minato says, speaking to both women. "Were your country willing to pay for this escort, the matter would be entirely different. However, I cannot afford to send my ANBU out on a mission that pays nothing when there are paying customers willing to pay for their services."

"It is hardly fair that you would charge my country for use of shinobi!" Nanoka responds, and judging from the Fourth's sigh, I can tell he's heard what she just said before. "We are allies; it should be your highest priority to protect people that represent your allies!"

The Fourth sighs again.

"If you are so dead set on having another group escort you, I can call Squad 7 to perform this mission." He tells the ambassador.

_Wait, that's Kiba-kun's squad…_

"However, unlike the four people you see before you, the last time Squad 7 went on a c rank mission, the three of them were nearly killed, and barely escaped with their lives." He tells the woman, not telling her about the complications that arose on that mission. "However, this squad of Genin performed a C rank mission without a problem. I daresay the team of Genin before you are the most skilled of those that I can offer, and the best to protect you until you can be returned to your own people."

At this, I see my teacher smirk, looking at the ambassador with confidence in her eyes.

The ambassador looks at the four of us in turn, and then back to the Hokage.

"I will have to report this to the Raikage when I return to the Village Hidden in the Clouds." Nanoka explains.

The Fourth Hokage nods.

"And when you do return without a scratch, you can explain how a team of three 12 year old children defended you like a mother hawk watching over its babies." He retorts. "You can also enjoy explaining to your superiors the time you spent wasted in my office, arguing with me over my decision."

_At least both of them seem to accept the assignment now…_

&

Somehow, the four of us along with the ambassador manage to make our way through the tower and into the streets of Konoha. Fortunately, Kurenai-sensei appears all business now, her anger at the ambassador either long gone, or extremely well restrained.

She stops, turning to face the woman who walks behind Naruto, Shino and me. Nanoka stops in her tracks, looking at our instructor.

"What are you waiting for?" The ambassador asks in impatience. "I have to return to my country immediately."

Kurenai nods.

"I am well aware of that, Nanoka…" She begins, not using an honorific and using her first name. "However, until we can return you to your people, you are under our protection. That means you'll at least need to absorb two pieces of information." Kurenai explains.

I look to see the woman smirk self-assuredly at our teacher.

"And what would those pieces of information be?" She asks.

"First, you'll be walking in the middle of a diamond formation, with me ahead of you, Naruto on your left, Shino on your right, with Hinata behind you." Kurenai explains.

_She's putting me behind the ambassador? She must be worried that the ambassador will try something…_

"All right, what's the second piece of information?" The woman asks, still showing her impatience.

I see my teacher glare daggers at the Lightning ambassador.

"If you attempt anything sinister, or go against my orders in a life and death situation, I WILL NOT hesitate to kill you, do I make myself clear?"

The woman nods.

"I understand…" She begins. "I'll also have you know that threatening me can be considered an act of war."

I see my teacher's eyes gain a malice that I've never seen in them before.

"And I don't give a shit…" She responds, a hiss to her voice. "If you're dead, then I can tell the ninja waiting for you whatever I want, as long as I make it look realistic, I could lead you into the forest and tear you apart. Then, I could blame it on highwaymen…"

I see the ambassador's eyes go wide at my teacher's statement.

_Is it just now setting in that we aren't the only ones in a precarious situation you black hearted bitch?_

The thought comes to me so naturally, so without provocation that I blink twice in surprise.

_Did I really just think that?_

"Let's get going then, the sooner we get to the border, the quicker we can hand you off." Kurenai suggests.

The ambassador nods.

"For once, we agree on something." Nanoka retorts.

The five of us begin walking toward the gate that will lead to the border with the land of lightning. Leaving the village is easy, the guard recognizing our faces and formation.

Once out of the village, we stay on the main trail, walking toward the border with the land of lightning. The entire time we walk in comfortable silence, though I notice that several bugs fly out from Shino's jacket, taking to the air…

_He has flying bugs now? Since when did he have access to them? From the time I've known him, he's always had bugs that were stuck on the ground and unable to fly…_

I look toward Naruto, and I see the boy walking with both hands behind his head, whistling some song that I've never heard before. I don't know what it is about him, but looking at him and seeing him so relaxed, I feel better about this mission.

_Are Shino and Kurenai-sensei really right? Am I really in love with the son of the Fourth Hokage? Even if they are, there's no way I can approach him about something like that. I mean, being who he is, I'm sure he'll have suitors from other families vying for him to marry their daughter when he gets older. Me, I'm the daughter of the Hyuga main house, and if my uncle has his way, I won't live to become a teenager, much less even begin to think about a boyfriend…_

_But, that still doesn't help me in my problem. If anything, my uncle's plans on my life should only encourage me, shouldn't they? If I'm going to die shortly after my grandmother, then shouldn't I be doing everything I can to communicate my feelings toward him? Even though I have no intention of allowing my uncle to kill me, he is much stronger then I am, and once he has the resources of the clan, there won't be much I can do. By the same token, there's nothing I can do to prevent him from taking temporary leadership of the clan. Even if I were to learn every secret of the Gentle Fist and our family, the council wouldn't recognize my claim until I've reached adulthood. No matter how hard I train or how quickly I learn, I can't lay claim to the family until I'm at least 18, that's six years from now…_

_What am I supposed to do for six long years? I know my grandmother will be dead by my thirteenth birthday. If she survives any longer then that, it will be a miracle in and of itself. Once she's dead, I won't be able to stay at the Hyuga mansion anymore. Doing so would be a death sentence. The moment I fall asleep, Hizashi or maybe his son Neji will sneak into my room and snuff me out in my sleep. _

_No, I can't remain in the Hyuga mansion, but what other choices do I have? The Aburame clan has extended a welcome to me, but I doubt they'd want to house me for six long years, no matter how good my friendship with Shino might be. Kurenai has a home, but from what I can gather, it's just her living there. While I would like to stay with my teacher, she doesn't have the capability to defend me 24/7 like an entire clan like the Aburame do._

_Then, there's Naruto. He's the son of the Fourth Hokage and lives in a home large enough to accommodate me. Plus, the Hokage has command of the ANBU, who constantly keep watch over his entire house. If any of them were to take me in, I think it would be the logical choice that Naruto's family did it. The only problem is, if Minato dies or steps down from being Hokage, then all the advantages disappear. Besides, if I were to even ask him about it, it would mean telling him all about the evils of my family. If he knew what kind of despicable family I come from, he may take pity on me but he'd never LOVE me. He would think I'm some tainted thing to be pitied, not loved. If he ever looked at me like that, like he had to help me, to take pity on me, I'd…_

Looking at Naruto's back, I feel tears begin to form at the edges of my eyes. My mind shows me images of the boy looking at me like I'm some dirty poor orphan. I can see his eyes full of pity…

I shake my head, trying to clear the image from my thoughts.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO! I can't think like that. Minato knows what's going on with my family. I know that he would offer to take me in, but…_

It isn't until I notice Nanoka stop walking and I follow suit. I look around to see that the sky has grown dark, with the night sky hanging overhead.

"We'll stop and make camp here." I hear my teacher's voice.

The five of us begin setting up our respective tents. Fortunately I can go into autopilot, letting my training show by setting up the collapsible tent. Within 20 minutes, the five of us have our tents set up. Every now and then, during my own tent setting up I see Nanoka efficiently set up her tent, finishing nearly the same time Naruto, Shino and I finish. Kurenai, having had more practice, is done in nearly ¾ the time it takes the ambassador and my two teammates.

"Hinata, would you check the area?" Kurenai asks.

I nod, making the necessary hand signs. The veins around my eyes bulge a moment later. I scan the area through my Byakugan, looking for anything that might be another person within my range. Looking through the kekkei genkai I don't see anything.

"The area is clear, Kurenai-sensei." I tell my teacher.

I see her look to Shino, and without a word the Aburame boy nods. A moment later I see a stream of bugs fly out from within his jacket. I see his bugs take to the air.

"My allies shall create a perimeter around our encampment." Shino explains. "Should an intruder present themselves, my allies shall alert me."

As many times as I've heard the boy say that his allies will alert him to a breach, I've never bothered to ask HOW that happens. Thinking about it for a moment, I come to a decision that I don't want to know…

We start a fire, making camp and 'cooking' dinner. We eat in most of silence, making very minor talk amongst ourselves. With Nanoka around, I don't want to talk about anything that has to do with any of us. In spite of her apparent aloofness, I don't trust the woman.

After nearly 3 hours after we make camp, the ambassador speaks up.

"Well, I'm going to sleep." Nanoka says, informing us all of her plans. "The four of you can set up a watch if you want, I don't care."

The ambassador goes into her tent, zipping the tent closed behind her. The four of us look at each other. I see my teacher shrug her shoulders.

"Hinata, you'll take the first shift, and then Shino, then Naruto, and I'll take the last watch." She says, making up the watch rotation. "We'll take 3 hour watch rotations, so we'll all have plenty of time to sleep."

The three of us agree without a word between us. Naruto, Shino and Kurenai all enter their tents at nearly the same time. I make hand signs, activating my Byakugan and gaining the insight of the kekkei genkai. I look through the bloodline limit, trying to find any intruder to our campsite. I spend the entire 3 hours sitting at our campsite, using my Byakugan to scan the area. The entire time I sit there, I can't see anything. The boredom unfortunately leaves me plenty of time to think about my situation…

_I still don't know what I should do. When my grandmother dies, I won't have a home anymore. I'll be an orphan, and if uncle Hizashi doesn't have me killed, I might be able to survive long enough to become a teenager. But, if I'm an orphan, then there's no way that Naruto will ever be allowed to even think about going on a date with me. If that happened, I don't think I'd want to keep on living…_

I barely notice the zipper on Shino's tent opening, the Aburame boy exiting the tent and approaching me like a silent wraith.

"Your shift has ended, and my allies have reported no intrusions." He explains to me. "I will take over keeping watch."

"Thank you Shino."

I stand up, the veins around my eyes receding.

"Naruto is concerned about you…" He informs me.

I glance back toward the Aburame boy.

"What is he concerned about?" I ask, without even thinking about it.

"He is concerned for you, and does not know how to approach you about his concerns." Shino explains.

"What…?" I ask.

"He has seen the recent turmoil in your emotions, and does not know what could cause it." He informs me.

"The turmoil in my emotions…?" I ask.

The Aburame nods.

"Yes, on our trip here, your emotions were an obvious turbulence." He explains. "Because he does not know what is going in your life, or with your family, he does not understand." The Aburame boy finishes.

"So, what do you think I should do, Shino?" I ask.

"It is obvious to me that he bears a certain caring for you." He explains. "I believe your best course of action would be to approach him about the recent happenings in your life, and ask him if he would listen to you talk about them." Shino suggests. "I doubt he would turn you down, and it would give him insight into you as a person."

"But, what if he thinks that because my family is so corrupt and power hungry that I must be the same way?" I ask.

The Aburame shakes his head.

"Naruto would not think of you in the same manner as he would the members of your family who value power and money over all else."

I bow to the boy.

"Thank you, Shino." I thank the boy.

"Think nothing of it…" He says.

I go into my tent, closing the door behind me. I lie down on my sleeping bag, closing my eyes, taking deep breaths before I drift off into sleep.

&

The next morning, I awake to my alarm. I get up and get dressed, ready to go for the coming day. I get dressed and leave my tent, taking my packed backpack out of the tent. I pack up my tent and place it inside my pack, looking around to see the others are doing so as well. Within 15 minutes of my rousing, the 5 of us are ready to go.

Without a word, the five of us assume the formation Kurenai described to us earlier and continue our trek toward the border. We walk in silence, though every so often I activate my Byakugan, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Someone managing to sneak up on the five of us under my gaze is nearly impossible. Even if someone were able, they'd be too strong for me to be able to do anything to stop them anyway…

_Besides, no one knows who this Temura person is. If highwaymen stop us, Naruto, Shino and I can take care of them. It isn't until tomorrow that I'll be worried. The closer we get to the border, the more likely Cloud shinobi are going to cross it to check on their ambassador. If they see me, they're likely to try and kidnap me. If that happens, then Kurenai and the others will try and rescue me, and even they succeed, it'll be likely to start a war. War means more death and chaos…_

I shake my head to clear it. I know that thinking such thoughts aren't going to help me or the mission. Because I'm so focused on the mission, and locating outside threats, I don't take a look at Naruto or anyone else in our traveling party until nearly 2 hours after we start out.

With my Byakugan, and years of training from my grandmother, I've learned to see the chakra network and the tenketsu along it. While my skill is nowhere near my Grandmother's level, I am more then capable of seeing through nearly any illusion and judging a person's condition from their chakra flow and bodily damage.

Looking at Shino, Kurenai-sensei and Temura with my Byakugan, I see the three of them are fine, with no injuries or problems. However, Naruto is another story all together.

Looking at him through the Byakugan, I can see the enlarged coils of his chakra network, and they look… empty. Usually his chakra network is brimming with blue light. However, now his coils are extremely depleted, as though he's been constantly using a jutsu for a long time, and only stopped when he could barely walk…

_Don't tell me he's been training? We're on a mission, and Kurenai-sensei told us that we weren't supposed to do anything that might be strenuous until we return to the village…_

I see a rock in Naruto's path, the boy completely oblivious to it. I see him kick the rock with his foot, barely missing his exposed toes and falling forward. In a moment I'm next to him, my right arm across his chest, and his right arm over my shoulders. I steady him, holding his weight along with his pack and training weights up, preventing him from falling.

He looks to me, and I can see the fatigue in his eyes.

"Hinata…?" He asks, sounding like the lights are on in his mind, but no one's home…

"Naruto…" I mutter.

I don't hear footsteps, and I turn to see the others all stopped. Kurenai looks at the both of us with a scowl on her face.

"I believe Naruto has been training, Kurenai-sensei." I speak up. "His chakra is extremely low, he shouldn't be walking."

I see the woman sigh while approaching the two of us.

"Naruto, what did I tell you?" Kurenai asks.

The blonde boy nods, though I can tell that he's severely exhausted.

"How do you feel Naruto?" Kurenai asks, kneeling down to look at the boy at eye level. "Do you feel sick, is it hard to breathe?"

He shakes his head.

"Just, really sleepy." He manages to say with a grin.

She looks at me, a very serious expression on her face.

"Have you managed to examine him?" She asks.

"Yes…" I respond. "He has no injuries, other then a lack of chakra, he is perfectly fine. His heart rate and breathing are all normal, and his body temperature isn't elevated."

I see my teacher smile.

"You can tell all that, just from looking at him?" She asks.

I nod.

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei…" I explain to her.

She looks back to her weak student.

"Naruto, from what I can see, and what Hinata has told me, you need to sleep." She explains.

The blonde boy shakes his head no.

"I'm fine…" He responds, his voice showing otherwise. "I can walk…"

I barely see my teacher make a single hand sign. Then, she places her hand over Naruto's forehead. At first, his eyelids look like they're getting heavy, and then his eyes close, his body going limp. I look back to my teacher, seeing her sigh lightly.

"That should help for a while." She mutters.

She turns back to Shino and the Cloud ambassador.

"Naruto has exhausted most of his chakra, so I've placed him into a sleep state that will allow him to recover." She explains to the two of them, though I imagine it's only meant for the ambassador. "I assume there is no way I could convince you into stopping here for the day, Nanoka?"

The ambassador shakes her head.

"I must return to my country, it isn't my fault your stupid student didn't listen to your instructions." She responds.

Hearing her insult Naruto, I feel my eyes lock on her, my face set into a deadly grim expression. Glaring at the woman, I see her flinch back, either from me, or from the look I know she's garnered from Kurenai-sensei, I don't know…

A long moment goes in silence, though the Aburame behind the ambassador remains level and calm. Kurenai-sensei speaks after that long moment.

"One of us will have to carry Naruto's pack, and someone else will have to carry him." She explains.

"I shall take the additional load of his pack…" Shino speaks up, and I see the ambassador jump.

_She probably forgot he was there. I wonder if the boy gets a small twinge of pleasure deep down at surprising people like that…_

I can't help but smile slyly at the ambassador's reaction, though a moment after my smile is gone, lest the ambassador see it.

"I'll carry him then…" Kurenai speaks.

Shino walks around Nanoka without a word, taking Naruto's backpack and strapping it to his front. Fortunately, the packs are made for such an emergency, and it's possible for 1 person to wear 2 packs. Kurenai goes to one knee, assuming a piggyback stance, ready for me to help Naruto up onto her back.

"Um… I don't think you should carry him, sensei." I speak up, seeing my teacher look over her shoulder at me. "If we come under attack, it'd be best if you weren't encumbered. My Byakugan will work with or without the additional weight, whereas your hands will be tied holding up Naruto."

The woman looks at me for a long heartbeat, and then nods.

"I suppose…" She begins. "However, he's wearing weights like you are, I want you to either remove your weights or at the very least decrease your weight to almost nothing while you carry him."

I nod my acquiescence.

I decrease the weight in my restraints to their absolute minimum. I take my backpack off, putting it on the front of my body before I kneel down. Kurenai helps lay Naruto on my back, and I take him into a piggyback position. Before long, the boy is comfortably resting on my back.

"We should get going…" Kurenai suggests.

The five of us return to our trek to the border, Nanoka appearing to be very angry at the interruption.

"Do you even care about escorting me back to the border with the land of lightning?" Nanoka demands.

"My team is more important to me then this mission." Kurenai tells her. "This mission is being gratis, that means you AREN'T paying us." She explains to the ambassador. "I will not push my team beyond their abilities and possibly lose their life on a mission that isn't doing anything to help our village."

"This is mission is to return an ambassador to her home, if you fail to do so then your country will be held responsible…" She begins, but Kurenai cuts her off.

"And war will be declared, I KNOW!" Kurenai responds.

The two of them continue to bicker between themselves. However, Shino, I, and obviously Naruto all remain quiet. Both Kurenai and Nanoka continue to bicker for what feels like half an hour, but I don't know exactly how long they argue. What I do notice is a small black cloud of insects that hover over our group.

While the four of us walk in silence, I see the bugs that hang overhead descend with a low, barely audible thrum. I see the insects fly into his jacket. A moment later a new similar swarm emerges from within the Aburame's jacket, their low thrum constant as they fly ten feet above us, and then hover their like a cloud of locusts hanging over us. With the insects hanging over us, I can only assume that the bugs are keeping their senses peeled, most likely searching for a source of chakra to move close to us. Thinking about the Aburame and his handy 'allies,' I can only wonder how the clan can be so ostracized from the people of the village. In a mission, be into enemy territory, escorting a VIP anywhere, or just setting up a camp, the Aburame kikai have been incredibly useful…

_I guess that's just another example of the injustice of the place in which I live…_

It's been several minutes since Kurenai and Nanoka finished their dispute. I look to Shino and I see the kikai ninja wearing an expression of absolute calm. With Naruto now resting on my back, our diamond shaped formation is gone. I move to get closer to the Aburame boy. I see him glance toward me behind his sunglasses.

"Is there something I can help you with, Hinata?" The boy asks.

I nod.

"I just noticed that your bugs can fly now…" I begin. "I've never seen it before, could they always do it?"

The Aburame shakes his head no.

"It was during our time as peacekeepers in the border town that I noticed a severe deficiency in our team."

"A deficiency…?" I ask.

The boy nods.

"Yes, I saw both you and Naruto were wearing training weights, going above and beyond normal training measures. Because of the increase in strength, I went to my father with a simple request. I asked him if there was anything that could be done to increase my power and my father responded with an additional colony of kikai." He explains to me.

"I've never heard of any Aburame having a flying colony before…" I respond.

He nods, pushing his sunglasses back to the bridge of his nose.

"The colony which now inhabits my body is a newly created breed." He explains. "I am the youngest of our clan to host this strain, and I've found that they are most useful."

"It's a newly created breed?" I ask.

He nods again.

"Yes, for several years the development of flying kikai has been a challenge to my clan." He explains to me. "However, in recent years we've been experimenting with new strains." He continues. "A major problem was communication, both between the host and the ground based strain of kikai all Aburame have." He pauses. "However, with this latest strain, that problem has been rectified."

I raise an eyebrow at this.

"What could cause the change?" I ask. "Aren't the ground based and aerial based kikai different strains of insect?" I ask.

"You are versed in the knowledge of insects, Hinata?" Shino asks, showing a rare moment of surprise.

"I know a little…" I respond, still carrying Naruto on my back. "I don't think I'd be able to follow if you went into great detail, but I learned that different types of insects can't communicate because they don't share a common communication method."

He nods once.

"That is true, Hinata…" He begins. "The major problem, as I stated earlier, is that the flying kikai and the ground based strain are unable to communicate." He continues. "However, the strain I now carry is a hybrid, the result of a forced mating between the two species."

"Does that work with insects?" I ask. "In other animals, hybrids rarely survive, and those that do are unable to give birth."

"That's correct." He agrees. "However, this colony is part of a strain that successfully kept their wings, and gained the obedience of the ground based kikai." He continues. "Several queens were born. The one I carry was one of four that had yet to form an alliance with a host." He informs me. "However, at my father's behest, the additional queen and her small colony were transferred into me, and I have been promoting exceptional growth. In the few weeks that the colony has been with me, I have nurtured them and turned them into a powerful tool for myself and our team."

"I see…" I respond.

"Because of the hybrid nature of the flying strain I carry they are able to communicate with both the ground based kikai as well as myself." He explains. "That communication is essential, and one of the key points to this flying strain."

"I understand Shino…" I begin. "I just want you to know that I'm not as disturbed as the other people of the village are by your clan's techniques."

"Those that are…disturbed…as you put it, by my family's techniques lack the very principal which my family adheres to." He begins. "Even though they may outnumber the members of my clan, those that have directly worked with my clan usually find themselves with a different perspective on the entire clan."

I nod.

"I am the Jinchuriki, a demon host for a tailed beast created by the Fourth's sealing technique." I tell him, keeping my voice down.

_The last thing I want is for that Nanoka woman to hear that…_

"Because of that fact, many aspects of my life have not been what others would call 'normal.'" I explain to him.

"That is nice to hear, Hinata." He explains to me. "I am glad that people, however few are willing to change and learn from bigotry, rather then consume themselves with it."

What the boy says is deeply laced in meaning, showing me just how 'deep' he is.

_I knew he was a good person, but I never thought he'd think like that…_

The lot of us continues walking, and I move away from my teammate. I can tell that the boy has a different opinion of me now, and judging from the change in his body language, that it's a happier change.

Walking with Naruto on my back, I hear the boy begin to murmur in his sleep. I hear him mutter something that I can't understand, feeling his head move against my back. I feel him nuzzle against my neck. I feel my face turn bright red at his action.

"Hinata…" I hear him mutter.

My face turns even brighter red at his mention of my name. I hear him continue to mutter in his sleep, though I hear him mutter the names of both his parents, though neither name is directly after each other…

_Is he dreaming about something? If he's dreaming about me, then what does that mean?_

I see Nanoka glance back at me, her eyes focusing on me for a moment. Then I see her head spin around, glaring toward Kurenai's back.

"Woman, your so called student is blushing like a school girl!" Nanoka begins with hostility apparent in her voice.

I see my teacher glance back toward the ambassador, an annoyed expression in her eyes.

"I would remind you that Hinata is still a 12 year old girl, and 12 year old girls are prone to doing things like blushing." Kurenai shoots back to the woman.

"Do you honestly believe that a girl who still blushes over boys is suitable to be an ambassador's bodyguard?" Nanoka demands.

The two of them continue arguing to each other, and I wonder just how powerful the sleep inducing technique Kurenai-sensei used.

&

Several hours later, after Kurenai-sensei and Nanoka finish arguing, we stop for the night. Naruto has since woken up, and now the five of us work to make a campsite, each of us setting up our own tents. The tent set up goes without a problem, though once we're done, Kurenai-sensei clears her throat.

"We have rations, but I do believe some fresh meat would do us all good…" Kurenai begins. "I need a volunteer to go hunting for tonight's dinner…"

Naruto looks up from his tent, a grin spreading across his face.

"I'll do the hunting!" Naruto volunteers for our teacher.

_If I can go out alone with him, then I can…_

"I'll go along too!" I volunteer. "With my Byakugan, it won't take nearly as long."

I see my teacher nod.

"All right, Naruto, Hinata, the two of you will go out hunting." Kurenai explains.

Both Naruto and I leave the campsite. We both take to the trees, and I use my Byakugan to scan the area around us. There are several animals around us. I use my kekkei genkai to search in on the largest animal I can find, while Naruto creates several shadow clones.

"Naruto, approximately ½-kilometer to our southeast is a wolf that has just killed an antelope." I explain to him. "If we hurry, we can kill both the wolf and use both animals."

He nods.

The two of us, along with his shadow clones take off toward the wolf and the antelope. The 5 shadow clones do the dirty work, killing the wolf without any real trouble. Naruto dispels the clones shortly afterward. Naruto picks up the antelope, and I pick up the wolf. The two of us take to the trees again.

After we start back toward the campsite, Naruto speaks up.

"Hey Hinata, can I ask you something?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yes, go ahead Naruto." I tell him, holding the wolf by its hind legs.

"Do you honestly think that I'm a good person?" He asks. "I mean, I wasn't able to protect you during the peacekeeping mission, and I haven't been able to fully master the Rasengan." He explains.

I nod my head.

"You're a good person Naruto…" I begin. "You're capable of fighting with the shadow clone jutsu, and you've gotten stronger since the peacekeeping mission." I tell him. "I'm sure you've increased the weight you're wearing, and you're smarter now then you were back then."

He nods.

"I guess, though I don't understand how anyone can think of me as a good person…" He responds, his head looking ahead.

_The way he talks, does he know that I've got feelings for him? _

We quickly get back to the campsite, finding Kurenai-sensei and Nanoka arguing with each other again…

_Is this all they ever do? _

The two of them argue for a short while. Shino does something useful, helping Naruto and me to clean and dress the meat. We begin cooking the brought back meat in a makeshift rotisserie. 20 minutes after the meat begins cooking over the rotisserie, both Kurenai-sensei and Nanoka stop arguing. I see their nostrils flare at the smell of the slowly cooking meat, and their stomachs growl barely audible over the crackling fire. Shino, Naruto and I sit around the fire.

"I have thought to place my kikai in sentry positions around our camp." Shino says, the three of us ignoring the argument between Kurenai and Nanoka.

"You know, those bugs of yours are going to be really handy when we take the Chunin exam, I really can't wait to take the test!" Naruto informs the both of us.

"The test won't be easy. It's supposed to be hard to keep unworthy genin from passing." I remind the both of them. "Even though the test is in Konoha, that won't make it any easier."

Naruto nods, though I see the boy grin.

"Not that it'll really matter that much…" He begins. "The three of us have been improving each and every day." He continues. "We'll pass with flying colors."

"The test has always been difficult…" Shino begins. "As both of you are well aware, other genin teams more confident then the two of us have tried, and failed to pass the exam."

"We haven't taken the test yet, and we shouldn't think negatively." I respond. "If we think that we aren't going to pass the test, then we won't, regardless of how good we are."

"I am not attempting to prevent our squad from entering or passing the exams." He explains. "It is illogical to think that we will pass the test, when the pass rate for genin who take the test for the first time is astronomically low."

With Shino's blunt, realistic response to our taking the Chunin exams, the three of us go silent. The three of us sit around the fire, and I can tell that both Naruto and Shino have a sort of solemn mood about them. I can tell that both boys have mixed feelings toward the upcoming Chunin exam. While I'm looking forward to it, I'm also dreading the thought of risking my life just to increase my rank…

Both Nanoka and Kurenai stop arguing, though I can tell that it's more because Kurenai no longer wishes to argue, rather then the ambassador. I can feel my teacher looking at the three of us, her argument with the ambassador suddenly put on the back burner. She approaches where Naruto, Shino, and I sit. At first she stands over us, though she quickly sits down near us, leaving the ambassador standing alone, her mouth open in disbelief.

"Something's wrong with you three…" Kurenai begins, her eyes darting between Naruto, Shino and me. "All the sudden, you three look like your favorite pet just died."

My eyes dart to the ambassador, a foreigner and someone that has no business hearing about my personal business, or the personal business of my teammates…

"I really can't say what's troubling me, sensei…" I'm the first to respond.

Both Shino and Naruto glance toward me, and then to each other. Without a word both boys look at each other, and then to Kurenai-sensei.

"It's really hard to described what's been bothering us, sensei." Naruto informs her, Shino remains quiet.

The woman looks between us, and I see her eye us. In her eyes I can sense suspicion, as though she suspects that our REAL reason for not discussing our problem is because of the ambassador's presence. Looking at our teacher, I know that she's more then easily capable of putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

I look to the ambassador, and I can tell that she isn't as stupid as I thought her to be. The woman wears an expression of obvious displeasure.

"Your so called students aren't talking about their problems because they don't want me listening in." Nanoka says with obvious dejection in her voice.

Kurenai looks over her left shoulder toward the woman from the land of lightning.

"I hate to remind you, but you are a foreigner, in a strange land." Kurenai retorts.

"I never asked to be assigned to a team of Genin." Nanoka responds with agitation in her voice.

"What business is it of yours to know what's troubling my students?" Kurenai asks.

"I was curious…" Nanoka retorts, crossing her arms over her chest.

The two animals continue to cook, the smell wafting into the air. Nanoka sits down near us, and after a short amount of time Kurenai raises the deer and wolf meat from the rotisserie.

"All right, I'll divide up the meat, so just relax, all of you."

The woman cuts into the animal meat, using a clean kunai while Naruto Shino and I all get plates from within our packs. Taking the travel utensils from my pack, Kurenai places a small amount of cooked meat on my plate. She does the same with Shino and Naruto, slicing off a larger piece for the ambassador. The woman grins when she receives her piece of the meat Naruto and I caught. The woman makes a 'yum' sound from her throat.

_I'd really like to slug that bitch right in her throat…_

&

The next morning the five of us are on our way toward the border. During the entire time the five of us walk toward the border, I notice that Naruto isn't acting the same as he usually does. He seems abnormally subdued, like he's thinking about something…

_Should I ask him what's troubling him? No, if I ask him about this, he'll probably just tell me that nothing's wrong and blow me off. _

I shake my head and instead decide to put my efforts into something more productive. I make hand signs, activating my Byakugan. I look through the kekkei genkai and I examine the area around us and ahead of us…

_The closer we get to the border, the more and more I keep thinking that we're going to get ambushed. If that happens, then the four of us will have to be on our guard as quickly as possible. If this is supposed to be some sort of ambush, it's highly unlikely that the ambassador was able to send any sort of message while we were out here. Also, I believe that she didn't know that I was going to be one of the people escorting her to the border until we actually met her. So, if there is some sort of ambush, she won't be involved. Because of that, the attack will have to come from outside, since she didn't request to have me as part of her escort. If she had done that, I wouldn't have agreed to go on this mission…_

_That said; there's nothing stopping them from sending shinobi ILLEGALLY over the border to do reconnaissance and if they spot me, they'll probably attack. I can't imagine that the Cloud Village won't see this as a chance to try and kidnap me. The only difference between back then and right now is; I can fight back…_

The thought of being able to return hostility to the invading Cloud ninja causes a strange sensation in me. Some part of me feels a strange happy sort of feeling at the thought of striking an attacking cloud ninja, showing the enemy shinobi that I'm not a defenseless little baby anymore. Another part of me feels a chill at that pleasure, wondering just what is wrong with me to feel pleasure at the thought of killing someone…

_Is it the Kyuubi, is it affecting my thoughts and influencing me? Is the Fourth's seal weakening? If so, will the fox obliterate my body and escape, only to cause havoc and death once more? Or, will the fox and I merge into some sort of demonic entity? Will the Kyuubi's mind and my mind merge somehow, with me REALLY becoming a demon?_

I shake my head, my Byakugan still activated. I can only imagine what my shaking my head with the kekkei genkai activated looks like, though I notice neither of my teammates or my teacher looking at me when I shake my head, so I just forget about it. The ambassador keeps her head forward, her thoughts obviously focused on the return trip.

Nearly an hour after I activate my Byakugan I see something on the edge of my vision. At first, I can only see the source of chakra moving through the trees. I notice Shino's eyebrows perk up when I notice the chakra sources. I hear the gentle thrum of the insects' overhead change, though the change is so minute and small that if you weren't listening carefully, senses sharpened out of fear of an oncoming attack you wouldn't notice. I see the chakra sources approach, though the closer the sources of chakra get, the more detailed the image gets.

At first I think to raise an alarm immediately, but it isn't until I get a clear image of the three sources of chakra and what they look like that I speak up.

"Kurenai-sensei, there are three enemies moving in, 1 from 10, 3 and 5 o clock!" I yell out, telling not only my teacher, but to my teammates of the incoming enemy.

Almost immediately after my alert, the three ninja appear from the trees around us. The three shinobi are dressed in black, wearing balaclavas that conceal everything but their eyes. They wear black uniforms, with metal plates on the balaclavas that identify them to be shinobi of the cloud village. The three of them converge on me, and I can tell that they're after me, and not the ambassador or Naruto or Shino.

I shift, targeting the nearest ninja and throwing three kunai toward him in a well-practiced motion. The enemy ninja swats the knives away with one of his own, growling under his breath. I see my teacher jump the ninja approaching from 1 o clock from behind. The man either obscenely stupid or unlucky, one or the other…

4 of her shuriken impact the man's back, one of the throwing stars stabbing into his spine. A moment later, a single kunai knife flies from her hand, stabbing into his head. The knife exits out the front of his face, landing point first in the ground. The ninja falls, deader then dead. I see Naruto and Shino pair off, with 5 of Naruto's shadow clones appearing from out of nowhere. The five clones charge the ninja, forcing the ninja on my left to stop and fight. While the five clones plus the original work to distract the enemy, I see black bugs crawl up the man's legs. It's all too late when he realizes that his body has become a feeding ground for Shino's kikai, his arms going to his back to try and swat them away. The man's arms stop defending himself 3 identical fists land in 3 separate parts of his body, 2 fists from Naruto's shadow clones and 1 fist from the original. The most notable blow is a hard right uppercut to his jaw. The man falls to the ground with a heavy thud, Shino's kikai still crawling on him, draining away what's left of his chakra.

The final ninja gets close to me, reaching out to grab me by the collar. His hand reaches the collar of my jacket, his hand going through the jacket collar, the illusionary clone shattering into a puff of smoke. The man raises his eyes in surprise. I emerge from the nearby bushes, a running start allowing me to move inside his defenses. I strike him using a powerful Gentle Fist blow, the aim of my attack to do as much damage to his heart and other vital organs and drop the man with as little effort as possible. He grunts in pain from my attack, my left hand moving in for a follow up blow. I send 4 Gentle Fist blows to his chakra network, annihilating most of the chakra within the central coil in his chest. I kick him away from me after the 4th blow, wanting to put as much damage between him and me as possible.

The cloud shinobi looks at me, glaring at me with anger and hatred in his eyes. If not for the surprise, I doubt my attacks would've gone nearly as well…

I hear what sounds like a sickly cough, combined with a red stain appearing on the balaclava on his face. I see the ninja's knees shift, the man coughing and wheezing while he falls forward. He lies there, clutching at his chest while he hacks and wheezes. I see Kurenai approach me from behind, stopping next to me and looking at me before she looks toward my victim.

"Can he talk?" She asks, and I nod.

"I did no damage to his vocal chords, though I doubt he'll want to speak with you." I explain.

I see the woman grin.

"I'll be the one to decide whether or not he wants to talk…" She mutters, walking forward.

I watch the Jounin begin her interrogation, trying to draw information out of both of the enemy shinobi. I watch her prod the shinobi for information, trying to draw what she wants out of the shinobi. Finally, after watching her for 10 minutes, the cloud ninja spits at her.

"You won't get anything from me, leaf bitch!" He retorts.

A kunai stabs through his neck a moment later. I see Kurenai-sensei's hand resting on the hilt of the knife. I see her look down at the dead ninja, a moment later turning toward the ninja still covered in kikai. I see her approach the shinobi, another of her kunai piercing the ninja's head. Once both of the shinobi lie dead, Kurenai turns toward the ambassador.

"Admit that you had some part in this, or I'll kill you where you stand…" Kurenai demands from the ambassador.

The shocked, fearful expression that appears on Nanoka's face is an expression I've never seen her make before, ever…

"You think I've got something to do with this?" Nanoka demands. "How could I possibly know anything about this?"

Kurenai looks to me, and I see her eyes are cold and hard.

"Hinata, is she lying?" My teacher asks.

Looking at the woman, I analyze her using the Byakugan, shaking my head a moment later.

"Her heart rate, respiration and movements are completely unaffected." I explain to my teacher. "If she is lying, she's been well trained at it."

"I'm telling the truth!" Nanoka insists.

Kurenai nods.

"I doubt you'd have the ability to conceal anything from the Byakugan…" Kurenai begins, her gaze shifting to the dead shinobi, the other ninja no longer covered in kikai. "I'd assume that these men were supposed to be your escorts, the ninja that were to meet us at the border."

I nod my agreement, and through the Byakugan, I notice Naruto and Shino agree to my teacher's statement as well.

"That is a logical assumption." Shino agrees.

I see my teacher look toward the ambassador.

"As you know, we're leaf Shinobi, and as such we can't leave the land of fire without permission." Kurenai explains to the ambassador. "Because of that, once we arrive at the border with the land of lightning, we'll have to part ways."

I see the ambassador sigh heavily.

"You're right, what just happened definitely puts me at a disadvantage…" She begins.

"If I were to return to Konoha and report this to Lord Hokage, the village council would almost demand that we take proper revenge." Kurenai details to the woman. "That would start a war, if not put the status of the Hidden Cloud village within the alliance treaty in jeopardy."

The ambassador nods at this, the arrogance that seemed to float around her having left her.

"These incidents could easily cause a war, and the Hidden Cloud would be responsible for the entirety of it." She begins.

"As such, my team and I can escort you to the border with the land of lightning, but once we reach the border, you're on your own." Kurenai offers.

The woman nods.

"Thank you, and though I'd rather have an escort all the way back to the cloud village itself, I realize that it isn't possible. You four were never given permission to break the boundary, and your continued involvement beyond the border can only start a war, either by the land of lightning or land of fire."

"That; and I will not take any of my Genin into the land of lightning." Kurenai tells the woman matter of factly. "The actions of these ninja prove that the people of the cloud still desire Hinata and the secret of the Byakugan."

The ambassador looks at me for a moment, and then she nods her head.

"If the three of you will escort me to the border, then at the very least, please do." Nanoka requests of us.

Kurenai nods her head.

"Hinata, use your Byakugan, and scan the area constantly, Naruto, make some shadow clones and have them patrol around us. Shino, I'd like you to use your kikai to watch over us as well."

The three of us nod our agreement.

With the three of us on high alert, we start for the border with the land of lightning…

_I didn't hesitate, I fought back and I showed them that I'm not just a helpless little girl…_

&

We make our way to the border with the land of lightning over the next three hours. Once we arrive at the border, the ambassador says farewell to the four of us, leaving us to cross the border into the land of lightning.

_Just like that, this is done, and we can return to the village. Even if it means going back to the branch family and their corrupt desires, at least I don't have to worry about people trying to kidnap me. No, instead I have to worry about people trying to kill me. I don't know what's worse…_

We turn around, beginning the three-day journey to return. The four of us travel for the rest of the day and well into the night, wanting to put as much distance between the four of us and the border. Even though we're still within a day's travel of the border, Kurenai calls for the four of us to break and make camp…

20 minutes later, I sit near the fire in the middle of our camp. I packed food from the village, but I didn't want Nanoka to get her hands on any of it.

_This food is for us, for my friends and me…_

I cook the food like grandmother taught me, as I've done many times before in the past. When I serve the food to my friends, all of them give me their approvals, telling me that my cooking has yet to fail to impress any of them. After dinner, the four of us set up a watch rotation, with me being the last one among the rotation…

"Get some sleep Hinata; you've got 6 hours until you're on watch." Kurenai tells me.

I get up, saying good night to my friends, going into my tent and lying down to go to sleep…

&

I dream a dream that is slowly becoming familiar. I find myself before the cell, looking into the face of the Kyuubi No Kitsune…

"What do you want now?" I ask, annoyance showing through my tone. "You've been bothering me a lot lately, and I'm getting sick of it!"

I hear the fox growl deeply, the growl echoing through the entire bunker…

"You dare speak to me that way?" The fox demands.

"Drop the attitude!" I glare back at it, becoming more and more annoyed. "You can't harm me, no matter how hard you try."

I can feel the demon's breath blow by me when the fox exhales in annoyance.

"Just how strong is your hatred?" The demon asks. "You had several opportunities to kill that woman, and make her suffer at your hands…"

"Nanoka didn't do anything to earn my wrath, and she wasn't responsible for the attack."

"Maybe she wasn't responsible, but the people she represents are responsible for what happened to you when you were a baby, when you were unable to even defend yourself." It tells me.

I shake my head.

"Naruto wouldn't think like that…" I tell it.

"Why do you care what that worthless boy thinks?"

"I want to be worthy of Naruto's love and affection, and he wouldn't approve of my killing Nanoka."

&

I feel something tug at my jacket. My eyes pop open, and I see Naruto kneeling over me inside the tent. I look outside to see another silhouette outside the tent.

"Are you a shadow clone?" I barely whisper.

The Naruto inside the tent nods. A moment later the shadow clone makes a hand sign and dispels itself, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

I get up, throwing off my sleeping bag. I roll the bag up, putting it back into my pack, getting a head start on my morning pack up. Once that's done, I leave the tent and see Naruto standing there, looking at me with a strange, sort of serious expression on his face.

For a moment, I stand there completely silent, with Naruto acting the exact same way.

_What's going on, when I went to sleep, he was his normal, happy self…_

"Hinata, do you like me as more then just a friend?" He asks out of the blue.

I feel my face flush, my eyes going wide at his question…

_How does he know?_

It only takes a moment for the 'gears to turn' and I realize EXACTLY how Naruto has suddenly become aware of my feelings…

_Kurenai or Shino must've told him last night. They took advantage of the fact that I went to sleep early because I had the last watch, and Kurenai intentionally set up the watch rotation like this, so Naruto would have an opportunity to confront me about it alone…_

_That sneaky little…_

"Hinata…" I hear Naruto's voice, pulling me from my thoughts.

I look to see him standing there, a worried expression replacing the serious one. I take several deep breaths to calm myself. Standing there under his scrutiny, I feel my heart begin to beat extremely fast, a sort of heady feeling coming to me.

_He's looking at me, and he wants to know if you like him. Grow a backbone and just tell him. It's obvious he's already gotten a clue, just fill in the blanks and SAY IT…_

I swallow the saliva in my mouth, letting out a long breath a moment later.

"Yes, Naruto, I've liked you for some time now, since we were assigned to the same team I've enjoyed spending time with you more then I have either Shino or Kurenai." I begin. "You're strong, kind, and you're a good person that never looked at me like I'm a demon…"

"Shino never looked at you like that, and I'd say he's strong and kind too." He comments.

_Is he trying to say I should ask Shino out? Well, he already knows the big secret; you may as well level with him…_

"I couldn't think of Shino as anything more then a friend, Naruto." I tell him, explaining my feelings to him. "I think that he'll make a girl very happy, but I'm not her."

"Oh…" He begins, sounding introspective. "Well, why do you like me?"

_In for one Ryo, in for a million Ryo…_

"You give your all so energetically and fully into anything you try. You never stop trying and you keep going, no matter what." I explain to him.

At first, the boy looks at those he doesn't know what to say. Then, I see him look down, a somber mood falling over him.

"For a long time, I thought I liked Sakura…" He begins, and I feel my heart begin to sink.

"I understand Naruto…" I begin. "You still have feelings for her, and you don't see me that way…" I ramble. "Just forget that you ever heard you like me, and…" I continue, but Naruto cuts me off.

"Can you just let me get this out?" He asks with a pleading tone to his voice.

I nod, and the boy takes a deep breath.

"When I was a kid, I was really afraid of this 'fox girl' that the villagers whispered about. They said she was a demon that lived among them, and even looked human. They also whispered that she killed people for no reason, and would kill everyone in the village unless they did something…"

"Um…" I begin, feeling worse and worse the more he talks.

I see the boy nod, realizing that I don't like where his train of thought is going.

"What I mean is, I've seen the kind of crap people can fabricate about someone, and I can see that crap for what it is." He explains.

_He's going to tell me he doesn't like me, that he doesn't see me that way, I know it…_

For a moment, Naruto is silent. During that single moment, I feel time slow to a crawl, my entire being on edge…

"That said; I really enjoy the time we spend together Hinata…" He begins, and I feel my feelings instantly change. "When I was around Sakura, it was weird. I wanted to be around her, but I felt like I couldn't be me around her or she'd hit me. Do you know what I mean?" He asks.

I nod.

"Well, it's different when I'm around you Hinata…" He begins anew, smiling happily at me. "I'd like to spend more time with you."

I feel my heart begin to soar.

"That said; I don't think it's a good idea if we start 'dating.'" He begins. "We're both still only 12 years old, and I don't know if I'm ready for a meaningful relationship with a girl." He explains to me. "That, and the Chunin exams are so close, I don't think it'd be wise if we want to pass the test to be thinking about having a relationship beyond friendship with each other." He informs me. "Do you understand, Hinata?"

I nod, extremely happy that the object of my love knows how I feel about him, and isn't going to reject me.

"I'm just really happy that you aren't going to reject me…" I tell him.

"I couldn't just reject you Hinata, I know how bad it feels to be on the receiving end of that, and I couldn't do that to you…"

_For that at least, I should thank that pink haired ogre. Maybe if I meet her in the Chunin exams, I won't completely annihilate her chakra network and put her in the hospital…_

"I just want to ask that you don't forget about me, and you know that my feelings for you won't change…"

The boy grins.

"I won't forget you Hinata." He tells me. "I promise."

He gives me a thumb up, and I feel myself smile.

_Thank Kami…_

"Good night Hinata…" He begins, walking toward his tent.

"Good night, Naruto…" I say to him.

He goes into his tent, and I assume guard duty. I activate my Byakugan and sit down, ready to keep a dutiful watch for the rest of the night…

_He knows how I feel, and he isn't going to just reject me. Even if it's a lie, at least for now, I don't feel so bad…_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Chunin Exams

(Well, it's Nine, and I hope some of you notice her change in attitude. She's a little happier in this one, and even though a lot of you are going to be slightly annoyed since I stopped this where I stopped it, but I assure you I'm working on 10 now, and it'll go to beta soon. My beta liked it, so I can only assume you guys will too. Also, someone said that this is a spin off of the 'Team 8' universe, but this was never intended to be that. I did draw inspiration from his story with the councilor thing. Other then that, I've meant to make this original, and you'll see that coming up, and what happens later, as I move further and further into the plot of _Naruto. _Well, I've ran out of things to say, so I'll just say this…)

End of Babble

Start of Story

(I know, I ripped it from the bartender joke of the day e mail newsletter, don't flame me, it's meant to be funny…)

Chapter 9: The Chunin Exams

That night I maintained a dutiful watch over our encampment. Even though we're in the middle of nowhere and no one knows where we are, we still keep a watch, because you can never know…

The next morning we start out early. We travel all day and night for 2 days, heading back toward the village, moving as quickly as possible. When we returned to the village, the three of us reported to the Hokage immediately.

Entering into the Hokage's office, the man smiles when he sees us, somehow his office is empty other then the ninja leader.

"Ah, Kurenai and her squad, did your escort mission go well?" He asks, looking at us with his blue eyes.

"It was as to be expected, Lord Hokage." Kurenai responds, not mentioning the ambush.

_So, she decided to hide the ambush and sweep it under the rug. I guess that's the best choice, since if the Hokage doesn't know about it then he can't start a war over it. _

Kurenai makes her report to the Hokage, and then the four of us are dismissed. We leave the Hokage's office and we take to the streets.

Kurenai stops in the streets, turning around to face the three of us.

"I've sent the registration forms for the Chunin exams to your homes." She explains to us. "Fill them out and return to training ground 8 in 1 week. You'll hand them in and take the test that day here at the tower, so make sure everything's filled out properly." She continues. "We won't be doing any missions until after the exam, regardless of the outcome." She explains to us.

"Um, sensei, what should we do for the next week?" Naruto asks.

I see my teacher smile.

"If you want, you can train to try and become stronger, but don't do anything that will hurt your chances in the exam."

After that, Naruto, Shino and I take our leave of our teacher. I part ways with the two of them, heading back toward the Hyuga home. Fortunately, my return to the Hyuga mansion goes without incident, though after I walk through the front gate, I feel dread form in my stomach.

_I'm back here again, in the place where my grandmother is my only ally…_

Walking into the house properly, I slip off my shoes and begin my trek back toward my room. I have clothes and dishes that need to be washed, as well as unpacking to do. Unfortunately, I see a teenaged member of the branch family in the halls, a young man who I've met before, though we've hardly ever spoken…

The young man looks to be roughly 17 years old. He has short dark hair, styled into short spikes that seem to flow backward, giving his head a smooth appearance, and yet not smooth at the same time. He has the Hyuga eyes, wearing a headband on his forehead. He wears a simple dark blue short-sleeved shirt, with pants that are a few shades lighter blue. He wears the same sandals I do, his face possessing a strange calm, almost like an innkeeper, welcoming travelers weary from a long storm…

The young man steps in front of me, bowing to me, and I stop in my tracks.

"Hinata-sama, may I speak with you?" He asks in a respectful tone.

I nod.

"You are Hiraiga, of the 8th branch?"

He straightens, nodding to me.

"Yes, it is an honor that you would remember my name…" He begins. "Would you please accompany me into the courtyard, there is something I wish to discuss with you…"

I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

_Is he trying to lure me into a trap? Could he be working for Hizashi, trying to get rid of me now and cause my grandmother to have a heart attack...?_

My emotions must be visible, as the young man leans close, putting his mouth near my ear.

"I assure you, I am not one of Hizashi-sama's cohorts." He tells me in a low voice, barely above a whisper.

_He knows…?_

He pulls away, and I nod to him. I follow him through the halls and into the courtyard, even though I've been there many times before myself. He leads me into the courtyard, and I see that the courtyard is as it should be, no one hiding in wait, ready to ambush me in my own home…

He walks away from the house itself, his bare feet sliding against the grass. I follow him out into the courtyard, and I can't help but watch him out of suspicion.

_What could he want to speak with me about? What could he want?_

He stops, turning on his heels immediately afterward. I stop with more then an arm's length between us, thinking of the space as barrier room…

"Hinata-sama, I believe that your life will soon be in terrible danger…" He gets right to the point.

_He's warning me? Grandmother said there were members of the branch houses that she trusted, is Hiraiga one of them?_

"If you are warning me of Hizashi's plot to circumvent control of the clan from me and the main house, I am already well aware." I tell him.

He nods.

"I know that, and I do not presume to say that you do not." He begins. "However, I believe that you are unaware of the timing of Hizashi-sama's plans."

"The timing…?" I ask, perplexed.

"Yes…" He begins. "Hizashi-sama is well aware that you are taking part in the upcoming Chunin exams. His son, Neji, is also participating. Neji is a rather gifted boy, his prowess with the Byakugan is said to surpass even his father." He continues. "He also possesses a strong hatred toward the main house, which his father has fanned over the course of his life. I know that Neji believes himself to be more suitable to lead the clan then you, Hinata-sama, and possess a particular anger toward you. I believe he may use the exam as an excuse to kill you, and avoid being held responsible for his actions."

"I see…" I mutter, taking in the information. "But, why are you telling me all of this Hiraiga?" I ask. "What do you have to gain from Hizashi not taking over the clan, and each of the branch families shifting?"

He sighs.

"I am not that skilled with the Byakugan or the Gentle Fist…" He begins. "I know that I am not fit to lead the clan…"

"That does not answer my question…" I remind him.

"My mother was a sickly woman, though my father loved her…" He begins. "When I was little, my most fond memories are of being at my mother's side, while this clan paid for her treatment. If not for my father, my mother would've died in childbirth. I cannot begin to place a value on the happy times I spent with my mother, but I can at least try to begin to repay the clan that allowed her to live, and be with me as long as possible. I know I am not a gifted child, but I do as I am instructed, and I will never betray you, or the main family, Hinata-sama…" He explains.

The sheer honesty in his words is apparent, even to me. Even without the kekkei genkai, I know this boy is not lying.

"Thank you, Hiraiga." I finally begin. "Your loyalty is more valuable then any information and I thank you from the bottom of my heart." I tell him in earnest.

He bows again.

"I only wish to see you safe, and I will give my life for you or your grandmother, Hinata-sama." He admits.

"Thank you…" I say again.

"I will take my leave now, Hinata-sama." He says, bowing for a third time.

I nod, allowing the young man to leave my presence. I watch the young man walk away, standing there in the middle of the courtyard. Watching him go into the house and disappear into the hall, I can't help but feel slightly better about my situation.

_He might not be the strongest of allies, but at least I have an ally now other then grandmother…_

I start into the house, heading back toward my room.

&

I'm not in my room long before a servant comes, informing me that my grandmother wishes to see me in the dojo immediately. Knowing better then to keep her waiting, I drop what I'm doing and make my way to the dojo. Walking through the halls, I feel as though I could find my way blindfolded…

I arrive at the dojo, entering without a word to see my grandmother sitting in the middle of the room…

Scrolls hang from the walls, with the names of well known previous masters of the Gentle Fist written neatly on them. The floors are tan training mats, with various wooden and training weapons hanging on racks around the large 15 by 15 feet square room. My grandmother sits the middle of the room, sitting in a meditative posture. She wears loose dark brown robes that she only wears when in the dojo, robes designed to allow freedom of movement.

_What's she doing here? The last time she was in the dojo with me was when I was in the academy, the last time she taught me the Gentle Fist…_

I barely hear her sigh, standing up after I stop 2 steps into the room. I see her turn around, putting her arms into her sleeves while she turns to face me.

My grandmother looks her age, if not older, though her body is in physical shape, her face shows that she should be happily retired, enjoying the last legs of life…

_Something else to blame on the damn fox, if it hadn't shown up in the village grandmother would be retired and be able to enjoy life. Instead, she has to worry about training me and the hostile takeover of the clan by the branch house…_

"Hinata, do you know why I have called you here?" She asks me.

I shake my head no.

"I do not know, grandmother…" I explain to her.

"I have called you here because it is time you learned the deepest secrets of our clan." She explains.

"What…?" I barely breathe, watching her make hand signs.

A moment later, I see a seal fade into being all around the room, ensuring privacy and preventing anyone from seeing in from the outside.

"But grandmother…" I begin after finally finding my voice. "The last time I asked you for training, you told me I wasn't yet ready to learn…"

She nods once.

"Yes, and my statement still holds true. However, the circumstances have forced me to think long and hard on this subject, and the only conclusion I can reach is that you must learn now." She explains to me.

"But, grandmother…" I begin, only to have her cut me off.

"The things I teach you will no doubt be impossible for you to fully master within the next 7 days…" She explains to me. "However, there is little time left for me, and you must have some grasp of the entirety of the Gentle Fist before I die." She explains to me. "Once I have passed down the secrets to you, you only need train yourself to master them after I die, and then you can assume your proper place as leader of our clan…"

"But, Hizashi, won't he try and force me to impart these secrets to him?" I ask.

She shakes her head.

"Hizashi would sooner rather kill you then appear as though he needs something from you…" She begins. "However, should you need to, you can use what I'm about to teach you as a bargaining chip, though that must be a last resort. Hizashi-teme should never be rewarded with these secrets for his actions."

I nod.

"I will do everything in my power to master what you have to teach me, and keep it safe."

I see my grandmother smile.

"Good Hinata…" She says. "This training will push you to your limits; I hope you can learn quickly…" She tells me. "Prepare yourself…"

&

6 days later, with 1 day left before the Chunin exam, I can barely remember being carried by my grandmother to my room. The entire world appears fuzzy, my body unwilling to move. I've never felt so completely exhausted in my entire life…

_The Chunin exams, they're tomorrow, aren't they?_

&

I awake to the sound of my alarm, my eyes popping open and my senses coming back to me.

_What, when, what day is it?_

I look to the clock, seeing it is 6:30 in the morning. I get up, using the bathroom connected to my room to shower and get ready. Once I finish dressing, I see the completed registration form for the Chunin exams sitting on my desk in my room. I glance over it, seeing all the information is there and all of it is correct…

_When did this get filled out? Did grandmother order one of the servants to do it, or did she do it herself?_

Grabbing the registration form, I pocket it and then leave the Hyuga home, heading toward training ground number 8. I see Naruto, Shino, and Kurenai-sensei all waiting there. Both Naruto and Shino look solemn, and judging from their facial expressions each of them has a lot on their minds. I look to our teacher, wondering what she's doing here…

"You're all here…" She begins, looking at the three of us in turn, her eyes coming to me last. "I just wanted to see you three into the first stage of the exam…" She begins. "If one of you didn't show, then none of you would've been able to take the test."

I see Naruto's expression shift to one of questioning.

"But, if we have to enter as a group, then why did you ask us if we wanted to take the test individually?"

"You all had a choice, Naruto." Kurenai-sensei tells him. "I didn't want any of you pressuring the others into taking this exam. I wanted you each to answer honestly and without fear of peer pressure."

"Oh…" The boy says in enlightenment.

"I believe that question would be moot…" Shino begins. "All three of us have come to take the exam, and I for one do not intend to back out."

Naruto nods; and I do so as well.

"Well, if that's the case, then let's go, they won't wait…"

Kurenai takes to the trees with the three of us close behind. Leaping from tree to tree, I don't feel any of the fatigue or tiredness I felt from the day before. My limbs feel perfect, my arms and legs at top condition, even with the restraining weights on. Usually I'd increase the weight since they're no longer a hindrance, but since we're about to take a test that's supposed to be extremely hard, I'd rather be at my adjusted speed rather then slowed by the weights. I know that I very well may need to remove them at some point during the exam, and it's for that purpose that I wear them…

_Even if I haven't mastered everything that grandmother taught me in the last week, once I take these weights off I'll be much faster and capable of holding my own against a Chunin, no problem…_

_Though, I can't imagine that the exam will be a sparring match against a Chunin. If that were the case, then all we would really need is taijutsu and a little ninjutsu, and the exam wouldn't be so hard…_

Arriving at the tower, Kurenai stops at the entrance, motioning for the three of us to go inside.

"You three have done well; I'll be waiting for you once the first stage of the exam ends." She informs us all. "I'm eager to see how the three of you fair."

With that, she disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving the three of us alone together.

I look toward my teammates, seeing both of them look at each other and then me, and together the three of us enter the tower. The classroom we're supposed to enter is on the third floor, so we go to the stairs. The three of us move up to the second floor, and in a hallway I see Rock Lee arguing with a small dark haired man. Looking up at the sign above the door, I instantly recognize the genjutsu, and the crowd that's formed around the door is proof that not everyone has seen through the deception.

The sign above the door reads 3-1, the first number meaning the floor, the second meaning the room number…

_We're only on the second floor…_

The three of us stop in the hallway, and I look to Naruto and Shino. Naruto shrugs while Shino remains completely neutral. I start walking, ignoring the crowd and going around them. I hear the voice of Sasuke Uchiha, arguing with Lee about something, but both Naruto and Shino follow me past the crowd without a sound. I look back to see Naruto's eyes forward, not even stopping to look at Sakura Haruno while we pass her…

_Has he really given up on her?_

I push the self-doubt aside, focusing on what's ahead, the first stage of the Chunin exams…

&

Other then the incident in the hallway, the way toward the classroom on the third floor is peaceful and calm. I approach the door with Naruto and Shino close behind. I'm tempted to activate my Byakugan, look into the room and see what's awaiting us, but I fight the urge.

_I have to conserve as much chakra as possible. Besides, it's fairly possible this room has seals on it to prevent a Hyuga from spying or cheating…_

I open the door, walking inside with Naruto and Shino close behind. Seeing into the room, I see it's a stereotypical classroom, with a small area behind the seats between the seats and the door. At the seats and tables I see a myriad of shinobi, the symbols of various villages adorning their headbands. When the three of us enter, I see as much as feel the eyes of nearly every student at the desks turn toward the door, looking at the new arrivals…

The bloodlust is palpable, like all of them are one giant demon lusting for human flesh. Without so much as a sound, I see Naruto step into my vision in front of me, his hands together in the sign of the ram. I can feel him beginning to mold his chakra; ready to create a small army of clones should one of the other genin attacks…

"What the hell is going on…?" I hear Naruto mutter, still maintaining the sign of the ram.

"I believe those students are all older genin…" Shino begins. "Father warned me that because I was a first year Genin taking the exam, others that had to wait would possess an animosity toward me and my comrades."

"Still, that doesn't give 'em the right to act like they want us dead…" Naruto mutters.

"Hey, Naruto, Shino, Hinata…" I hear a familiar voice from my right.

I turn and look, seeing all three members of squad 10 leaning against the wall. Shikamaru stands with his hands in his pockets. Ino has her arms crossed over her chest. Choji has a yellow bag of potato chips in front of him, his hand moving between his mouth and the bag in a blur of motion…

_So, the three of them are here too…_

I see Shikamaru walk forward, with Naruto relaxing since the Nara boy doesn't emit an ounce of bloodlust…

"This whole thing is so troublesome…" He mutters, stopping next to Naruto.

Naruto's hands drift to his sides while he turns to face Shikamaru with his body.

"What's going on…?" Naruto asks, wanting another explanation other then the one offered by Shino.

The Nara boy sighs heavily.

"Kami, you're dense Naruto…" Shikamaru begins. "We're rookies, barely 6 months out of the academy. Some of these Genin had to wait years before they were allowed to take this test. They look at us and see us like we're little kids that are in over our heads…"

"Oh…" Naruto says in enlightenment.

_So, it's just like Shino said it was. These students all have a chip on their shoulder because they look at us like we don't know what we're doing. Well, whatever this test is, they can come and try and prove they're better then I am, and I'll show them the power of the Gentle Fist…_

I see Naruto turn toward the group of assembled genin in front of us. He extends his right arm, pointing his right pointer finger at them.

"My name is Naruto Namikaze, and I'm gonna kick the crap out of all of you!" He declares.

The bloodlust coming from the other students intensifies, and I see Shikamaru look at Naruto like the Nara doesn't believe what he just heard.

"Naruto you idiot…" Shikamaru mutters. "Are you trying to get them to hate us EVEN MORE?"

I see Naruto grin.

"I couldn't help it…" Naruto says, shrugging. "Not like these guys would stand a chance against me anyway…"

Shikamaru shakes his head.

"Don't come crying to me when these guys tear you apart Naruto…" Shikamaru finishes, walking back toward his two teammates.

Not 10 seconds after he finishes his explanation, Team Gai enters the room. At first, before he notices me I see Neji look annoyed, and then his expression changes to one of restrained hatred upon seeing me. I avoid his eyes while he walks by, seeing Ten-ten look like she's getting a headache, while Lee looks like a dog that's been scolded by it's master.

The three of them walk past us and move into the crowd of other students; somehow the three of them don't garner the looks of bloodlust that the other students give us.

_Is it because they're older? Is there some sort of teenager scent that only other teenagers detect or something?_

I shake my head, pushing the stupid thought aside.

_Now is the absolute worst time to start acting like a 12-year-old girl. You're a Hyuga, heir to main house, and you're a shinobi teamed with Shino Aburame and Naruto Namikaze, act like it!_

A few minutes later the door opens again, this time squad 7 enters the room with Sasuke in the lead, followed closely by Sakura and then Kiba. Sasuke appears angrier then usual about something, while Sakura looks thoughtful. Finally, Kiba just looks exacerbated.

Once the three of them enter, I see a silver haired older genin approach us.

The boy appears to be in his late teens, or at the oldest 20. He wears a leaf headband, and seems to have a thing for the color purple…

"Are you 9 the three rookie squads the rumors are talking about?" He asks.

"Who are you, and what business of yours is it who we are?" Shikamaru speaks up.

The silver-haired boy smiles and waves his hand dismissively at Shikamaru's response.

"I only asked because the 9 of you appear to be too young to be anything other then rookies." He explains. "And my name is Kabuto Yakushi, I'm taking this test for the 7th time now, and I thought I might offer you 9 newbies some information."

"You want to offer us information?" Sasuke asks. "What do we have to give you in return?" He finishes, showing he's weary of the older genin.

"I just want to help you 9 new students get adjusted, this exam is dangerous and you're all leaf shinobi. I'd hate to see you young people die because you didn't know…" He says.

Looking at him, I can see the sincerity there, the desire to do something only to help, but beneath it, I can tell there's something not quite right with Kabuto Yakushi. Looking at him, I can just tell that there's more to him then a genin that's taken the exam 7 times, much more…

_My only problem is I can't back my claim up with any kind of solid information. I've never heard of a Kabuto Yakushi before, but he must be a genin of our village since he's here and wearing a leaf headband. Currently, there isn't a reward for his capture, but something just doesn't feel right about him…_

I don't know if it's the Kyuubi within me causing this feeling, or I'm just nervous and on edge about the exam. However, the one thing I can say for certain is that something isn't right with this silver haired genin, regardless of the help he's offering…He begins to explain about the exam, about the five great nations and the mix of shinobi that are taking the test. I listen with half an ear, knowing most of the information already. Instead I focus on the other students, remembering my grandmother's warning to keep an eye on the other students and to trust no one other then my own teammates.

_Maybe that's why I don't think Kabuto is what he appears. Maybe I'm just taking my grandmother's warning to literally, and there isn't anything to worry about…_

I start to listen to him talk when I hear the word 'sound village' escape his lips.

"…They're a new village, and they're really small compared to the others. They only sent 3 genin to the exam this year, the first time their genin have been allowed to participate…"

I see movement in the crowd. Without a sign I activate my Byakugan, seeing 2 of the three sound genin moving at high speed through the crowd, toward Kabuto. Naruto turns and looks while one of the sound genin, a man wearing bandages all over his body with a fur like cape strapped to his back charges forward. I see that all three of them are wearing camouflage clothing in gray and black, with the lead genin wearing a strange metal device on his right arm…

Naruto makes a hand sign, ready to use the Shadow clone jutsu, but the sound genin's attack happens before Naruto can create his clones. I see the sound genin swing his right arm, though Kabuto sees it and steps back. With my Byakugan, I see the Genin's chakra come off of his arm and arc into Kabuto's ear, his fist never really meaning to strike Kabuto in the first place. Moments later his glasses crack, and I see his face contort into an expression of pain. He falls over, landing on his hands and knees, his body shaking while the lead sound Genin stands up straight.

The other two sound genin have moved from the crowd, but have made no other move to attack. There's another boy with spiky dark hair, dressed in a yellow shirt with the same gray camouflage as the other two. The girl has long dark hair with her arms exposed. The three of them project an air of confidence, the lead genin pulling his sleeve up to reveal the metal contraption on his right arm.

"What the hell happened?" Sasuke Uchiha demands. "I saw him dodge your punch!"

If the lead sound genin's mouth were visible, he'd be grinning.

"My attack happens at the speed of sound…" He explains. "There's no way anyone can dodge it."

_If what he says is true, then he uses his chakra to guide sound waves after that thing on his arm creates them. What I saw must've been the chakra he used to guide the sound waves. I'll have to warn Naruto and Shino later about that. There's a good chance that we might run into him sometime during this exam…_

"When this is over, the genin from the sound village will be Chunin, you can bet on that." The spiky haired one says in confidence.

At that moment, there's a flat noise, with a cloud of smoke billowing out from the front of the room. Everyone, including the three sound genin turns and looks to see a man dressed in dark clothes with a long black trench coat standing at the front of the class. The man wears a bandana on his head, with scars on his face. Judging from the bandana, he's from the leaf village.

Behind him I see what look like identically dressed 20 year olds standing behind him. The 20 of them wear dark gray clothing, and I have no idea what they're here for…

"All right you maggots settle down and shut up!" He commands the entire room with a booming voice. "My name is Ibiki Morino, and I'm about to become your worst nightmare…" He explains to us. "Get in line and have your registration forms ready. You'll give them to me, and I'll hand you a test and seating assignment."

The following is a meticulous process that involves each and every student approaching the front of the class, handing in their registration form and then getting a test. Once all the forms are handed out, I find myself sitting on the end of a row, both Shino and Naruto dispersed away from me.

_Of course, they'll set it up so teammates aren't seated next to each other. _

"All right, I'll begin the rules…" Ibiki begins. "Unlike other tests, you'll each start off with a perfect score of 10 points. For each instance of cheating, we'll deduct 1 point from your overall score. The three of you will be graded as a squad, meaning your three final scores will be added together and then divided by 3."

_Well, that just means that if one of us fails and the other two get perfect scores, then it'll all even out…_

"However, should one of you fail completely, all three of you will fail." He begins anew. "The men behind me are all Chunin level shinobi, and each of them has the eyes of a hawk. No matter how subtle you are, these Chunin will catch you cheating, and mark you off as per the rules." He continues. "You'll see in front of you that there are 9 questions on that test, the last question will not be given out until 15 minutes before the test ends. You have three hours, begin!" He orders the group.

As a whole, we flip our papers over and I scan the problems. Even though I was not just tutored by my grandmother but by the best scholars the Hyuga family can afford, the problems presented are problems that a genin shouldn't be tasked with solving. Looking at the test, I reread the rules again, thinking through everything presented to me.

_If you think about it, they're daring us to cheat. They give us a test that's impossibly hard and then tell us that we only lose two points each time they catch us cheating. However, if we're capable of cheating without getting caught…_

The thought instantly clicks. I activate my Byakugan while I outwardly look forward. I don't use hand signs, staring forward while I use the kekkei genkai to look around the room.

_Come on, all I need is a single person who knows the answers to these problems, and I'm set. I only hope that Naruto and Shino can somehow get by as well…_

I find an older boy working diligently at his paper. His test is like an open book to me. I pick up my pencil and go to work, copying his answers word for word, going through what he's written as I write it to make sure he isn't just writing nonsense…

_This has to be a reconnaissance test, to see how well we can gather information. For a Hyuga, information gathering is the simplest task…_

I work at the test, filling in the answers as quickly as I can. Fortunately the boy manages to finish the test in 2 hours. I finish the test with almost an hour left, so I recheck my answers, making sure that none of them appear too strange…

_Well, at least they look right. I don't know if they're really right or not, my only other option is try and copy off of Sakura, since she was the most intelligent person in our class, but I think I'd rather eat my own foot then do that…_

I sit there, staring down at the filled paper with my name on it, my pencil lying next to it. I glance toward the person next to me, a boy dressed in dark clothes from the Hidden Rain village. I see his eyes closed, and I have no idea what he's doing, but he isn't copying off of me, as far as I can tell…

"Number 23, failed!" I hear one of the Chunin yell out.

Two of the sentinels approach the candidate, the boy protesting that he hadn't done anything. However, the two Chunin will hear nothing of it, dragging him out by his arms, his two teammates following him, dragging their feet while they go.

_Guess they caught him, and they really mean they fail you and your squad if you get caught…_

Throughout the hour, I sit and listen to the Chunin watchers calling out numbers, the thick mass of students being whittled away slowly but surely. After nearly 30 minutes of listening to the Chunin pluck students from the test takers, I activate my Byakugan again without the hand signs. I look through the kekkei genkai, sending my vision toward where Naruto sits. I see his seat is technically empty; an illusion weaved onto his seat, showing the boy dutifully writing at his paper, though no real pencil marks the sheet. I see the real one sitting there, holding a hand sign beneath the table, his eyes closed. I can see his chakra flowing through his body, the energy in his coils slowly disappearing as he maintains the illusion…

_What in the world is he doing? He's using a genjutsu to make it look like he's working diligently, but in reality he's just sitting there. If he doesn't at least get 1 of the 10 questions right, then all three of us will fail…_

_Wait; think about who you're talking about. He's the son of the Hokage, one of the nicest and unpredictable people you've ever met, and he's also your teammate. He won't let you down, he'd sooner rather die…_

Seeing as how I have no idea how to try and help him, I instead focus on Shino, seeing a small black bug silently buzz down toward his body. I see another bug silently buzz out of inside of his jacket, his pencil going to his paper after the barely noticeable insect returns to him…

_What is HE doing? Judging from his paper, he's getting the answers right, but I can't tell how he's getting the information. Wait, his pencil started when that bug came back, so somehow the bug must be communicating the answers to him. Fortunately for him he got that second colony of flying kikai. Otherwise, he'd probably be in really bad shape. Then again, knowing what I know about the person controlling those bugs, I'd think he'd find a way…_

I look around the room, seeing the various students working at the test. I turn off the kekkei genkai and look forward, seeing that just over 30 minutes is left until the test is supposed to end…

I don't know what spurs me to activate my Byakugan again, but I feel very concerned for Naruto, so I use the sign-less method to turn the kekkei genkai on. I close my eyes and look through the bloodline limit, seeing Naruto now working on his paper for real, his pencil moving across the paper as quickly as his hand can move. I see information scribbled onto the paper, and I see that each bit of information on the scrap paper is related to a problem on the test, with 9 blurbs in all…

_What in the world happened? How did he manage to get all that information like that?_

Then, it hits me like a mallet. The reason for the genjutsu, his lack of chakra, the all at once information…

_Must've used Shadow clones somehow, there's no other reason for it. He had to somehow sneak them out of the room without ever leaving his seat, and ordered them to dispel themselves after they got the information he tasked them with. As far as shinobi tactics is concerned, that's a brilliant use of a high cost technique. I heard from grandmother during one of our discussions about ninjutsu that whatever information Shadow clones gather will be sent back to the user when they're dispelled. That means they're great for training, but since they require so much chakra, it's hard to use them for that purpose…_

_Although, I don't know how in the world he managed to learn to use a genjutsu. When we were in the academy, they told each of us what kind of techniques we were most suited for, and Naruto was supposed to be a ninjutsu specialist, like me. Maybe somehow Kurenai-sensei managed to impart some of her skill onto him…_

The fifteen minutes goes by faster then I can imagine, watching Naruto fill out his paper. Moments after Naruto finishes the ninth problem, Ibiki speaks up.

"All right, now I'll give out the tenth question…" He begins. "However, before I give it out, there are some new rules that apply just for this question…"

The Jounin pauses, allowing that information to seep into his audience.

"First, you have a choice whether or not you want to take this last question, if you choose not to, then you automatically fail, regardless of the other questions." He begins. "Second, should you choose to take the question and fail, you'll be forever bared from taking this exam again, you'll be stuck as genin forever."

There's a collective 'what' gasped out from the entire remaining students, including me…

"That's bull!" Kiba Inuzuka speaks up from near the back of the room, slamming his fists on the table. "There are other genin here who've taken the exam before!"

I see the male proctor grin.

"I wasn't making the rules then, but I am now." He responds, his tone on the verge of sounding sinister. "It's just your bad luck that you got me for a proctor this exam. If you don't like it, you should feel free to drop out now, and you can try again in 6 months, and maybe you'll get a nicer proctor."

I see people raise their hands, Ibiki calling out their respective numbers, and the numbers for their teammates. I watch as student after student files out of the classroom, most of them looking heartbroken and miserable. Looking at them, a thought enters my mind…

_Are they trying to get at me, are they only doing this because of me? I know that many of the shinobi of the village despise me because of the Kyuubi, and they would do anything to exact some sort of revenge against it. Could this man have been wounded by the demon, and now he's hoping I'll take his question and fail it, or is he hoping that I'll just drop out and want to remain a genin forever?_

The fingers on my right hand flex, and for a brief moment I consider raising my hand, even if it means failing my entire squad…

_At least they'll be able to retry again in 6 months, and they can get another kunoichi that won't cause this problem…_

Then, Naruto yells out, putting one foot on the desk and pointing his finger at Ibiki.

"My name is Naruto Namikaze, and I don't care WHAT you've got to say!" He shouts out at the proctor. "Even if you do think you can bar me from ever becoming a Chunin, I'll still become Hokage, and when I do you'll see just how full of shit you are!" Naruto finishes, swearing at the proctor.

At first, I expect to see the older man's face contort into an expression of anger, to see the man scream at Naruto. However, instead I see the man smirk, looking back at Naruto.

"Is that so huh?" Ibiki asks. "Well, if you don't sit down, I'll have you held for insubordination, and it won't matter whether or not you take the question…"

I see Naruto's butt hit the chair faster then I've ever seen him move, as if standing would kill him…

_Naruto, did you do that for me? Did you yell at our proctor just so I wouldn't raise my hand?_

"Well…" Ibiki begins again. "Do any more of you want to forfeit taking the 10th question?" He asks. "Remember, if you fail, then you'll never be anything more then a mere genin."

I see his eyes slowly scan the students sitting in front of him. I look around, seeing the other students left in the class quiet as church mice. Then, I look back to see Ibiki look at the sentinels around the room, and I see many of them give the man a thumb up, or some sort of positive expression.

Then, most amazingly of all, I see the proctor smile.

"Congratulations, all of you have just passed the first stage of this Chunin exam!" He tells us all.

There's a long heartbeat where the class is silent.

_We passed?_

I see the girl from the sand village slam her hands on the desk, her giant fan resting against the desk next to her.

"What do you mean we passed? What about the other question?" She asks.

Ibiki closes his eyes, still smiling.

"The tenth question for this test was whether or not you were willing to take it, if you want to look at it like that." He explains. "There are situations where you can't retreat, where you must go forward and risk your life without a second thought. The kinds of people who value their own lives over everything else will never become Chunin, not while I'm around." He finishes.

"What about the other 9 questions?" The sand girl asks. "Why not grade them?"

"The other 9 questions were a test. As you all figured out, this test was impossible for any genin to solve, meaning you had to cheat if you were going to pass. That meant you had to subtly gather information without being caught, which is an invaluable skill for a Chunin. Although cheating without someone to cheat off of would be pointless, so I had 3 Chunin sit in on the exam who knew the answers." He explains.

3 of the students in the class that didn't quit wave their hands. 1 of the 3 is the one I copied my answers off of. A small sigh escapes my lips at that…

"Many times Shinobi are put into a life and death situation where they know nothing about the enemy, but they can't simply refuse the mission and choose to go home. They cannot throw away their honor just so they can live to see another day…" Ibiki speaks again.

Not 10 seconds after he finishes speaking, the window along the wall to my left bursts in. A large black ball flies into the room, opening and covering the entire front of the room. I see the woman from the dumpling shop standing in front of the black tarp, hung to the ceiling by kunai. On the black tarp the words 'Proctor of the 2nd Stage of the Exam: Anko Mitarashi.'

I see her look over the assembled students in front of her, a scowl forming on her face.

"Ibiki, what the hell's wrong with you?" Anko asks. "There are so many, did you go easy on them?"

"Nice to see you too, Anko…" He begins, moving underneath the tarp and then next to her. I see him look at her with a smirk on his face. "Isn't it possible that these students are just a tougher batch of candidates?"

I see the dark haired woman grin.

"Well, that just means that I'll have to eliminate more students then usual…" She mutters.

I feel a chill run down my spine at her happiness at wanting to eliminate students…

"The next stage of the exam will take place tomorrow; I'll inform your Jounin where you should report to." She explains. "Now get out of here!" She orders us all.

The students begin to file out, and when a red haired shinobi with a sand village headband walks by, I feel a chill run down my spine. I see the boy wears a large brown gourd on his back, a strange red tattoo above his left eye…

_Who in the world is he?_

All of the students, including me file out of the room. Naruto, Shino and I all meet up after the test, all of us relieved that we passed the first stage of the exam. It doesn't take long for Kurenai-sensei to find us, and once she joins up with the three of us, she immediately asks how the test went.

"We all passed, Kurenai-sensei." Naruto says with a grin, making a V for victory.

"Is that so…?" Kurenai asks, eying the three of us.

I nod, and I see the Aburame boy perform a similar motion.

I notice my teacher smile.

"You three should consider yourselves lucky that you made it through the first stage." She explains to us. "In celebration for the three of you passing, I'll buy you all lunch."

I notice Naruto nearly jump, while the Aburame keeps his composure.

"Yeah, let's go!" Naruto yells, thrusting his fist into the air.

Kurenai-sensei leads the three of us from the tower to Ichiraku's Ramen Stand. Kurenai seats with the three of us, while Ayame taking our orders and Teuchi works on making them. Ayame places our drinks in front of us before Kurenai-sensei finally speaks.

"I heard that Ibiki Morino was your proctor. Tell me, how you three managed to locate the information you needed?"

"I used my kikai to memorize the appropriate information, utilizing my entire swarm to gather the information as quickly as possible." Shino explains.

I see Kurenai shift her gaze to me.

"You used your Byakugan, didn't you Hinata?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei…" I respond.

She turns to Naruto.

"Well, what about you?" She asks, looking at him.

I see the boy grin.

"Well, I knew I had to cheat, but I didn't have a way that I could look over someone's paper without getting up. So, I did the next best thing…" He begins. "I used the genjutsu you taught me to help with my chakra control to conceal my shadow clones as I made them, and sent them out to find the answers. Fortunately they all found 9 different people with answers, and I was able to learn all the information…"

"I see…" Kurenai says with a smile. "I'm glad my genjutsu skills were useful to you Naruto. If you like I'll teach you more genjutsu should you want…"

Naruto shakes his head.

"It took me almost 2 weeks to master that genjutsu; I'd hate to think of what learning a better one would take."

"Well, you'll need that ingenuity in the next stage of the exam." Kurenai tells Naruto. "All of you will need to be on your toes." She warns us.

At that point, our meals are served, and the four of us start eating. We enjoy the meal together, the conversation naturally shifting to a lighter mood. During the meal, I feel myself smiling, enjoying the company of my friends and my teacher. After the four of us finish eating, Kurenai-sensei begins to speak again, a serious tone to her voice.

"There are three Genin from the sand village in the exam with you…" She begins. "There's a rumor traveling that the three of them started a fight with Squad 7. The three of you should stay away from them. Don't trust them, under any circumstances."

I see both Naruto and Shino nod their heads, and I copy their motions.

_The chill I got from him, I really do need to stay as far away from him as possible…_

"That's all I've got to say…" Kurenai says. "The second stage is taking place at the battle training area called the Forest of Death; you all should know the location." She explains.

The three of us nod again, and I get up from the stool, Naruto and Shino following my lead. The three of us leave Ichiraku's; walking together but I don't have any real destination in mind.

"The three of us could perform a light workout…" Shino begins. "As long as the three of us do not overexert ourselves, we should have no problem taking the exam tomorrow."

I nod my agreement, and I see Naruto grin.

"Sounds like a good idea to me!"

&

The three of us make our way to training ground 8. The next thing I know, I'm sparring against Shino.

Unlike the first time I sparred against him, the boy now possess a greater level of skill with his taijutsu. His hits are harder against my blocks, his movements are more precise and leave fewer openings then they did before.

"Your taijutsu has really improved Shino…" I commented whilst blocking a right hook from the boy, parrying into a right palm thrust.

He shifts to my right, my palm barely misses his chest, and I reel back to prevent myself from overextending.

"I've been taking extra training with my father…" He says simply.

He counters with a leg sweep, dropping low before he performs the sweep. I flip backward over his leg, causing his blow to miss completely. I come up in a gentle fist stance, my Byakugan allowing me never to lose sight of him.

"If we were fighting for real, you'd probably best me." I tell him.

He shakes his head.

"You could seal off my tenketsu, and make my entire body numb." He explains. "If that were to happen, even I would be unable to fight."

"But you could just use your kikai to drain all my chakra." I retort.

The two of us continue to go back and forth, nether of us landing a blow while the both of us talk.

"Such an action would require nearly all of both of my colonies." He explains.

"Why would it take so much of your kikai?" I ask curiously.

"I have attempted to drain your chakra during our previous sparring matches, and I've found that even with your chakra intensive fighting style you never seem to run out."

The two of us continue going back and forth, blocking and parrying the others movements. I begin to feel uncomfortable at what he's told me. The thought of him somehow managing to get his kikai on me with even my Byakugan is disturbing to me. I lower the weight in my weights, increasing my limb speed. With my increased speed, I easily get inside Shino's defenses on my next attack. My palm lands on his chest, and I have to try hard not to knock the boy backward.

When my hand strikes his chest, he nods my victory and moves backward, assuming a taijutsu stance. I look toward Naruto, and I see 10 of them standing there, their arms extended and looking like they're holding an invisible softball. Shino relaxes his stance and looks toward Naruto. Both Shino and I watch Naruto train for nearly 2 full minutes before the shadows clones dispel in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto looks at the three of us, and I see his stomach moving up and down rapidly, telling me he's exhausted. With the Byakugan, I see his chakra is drained, like he's exhausted nearly all of it.

"Are you still trying to use the Rasengan with only 1 hand?" I ask, and the blonde boy nods.

"The sheer chakra control required for this technique is unlike any other jutsu I've learned, not even genjutsu are as hard as this." He informs me.

I see the Aburame push his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"A jutsu such as that must be incredibly powerful…" Shino comments in his normal neutral tone.

"Yeah, dad showed me what it does when it's done right, and it's a real match ender."

"Is all that training really worth it?" I ask. "I mean, you could learn several other jutsu rather then learning just that one…"

He shakes his head.

"Learning to use the Rasengan will make me a lot stronger, not only in mastering it but by learning the chakra control." He explains. "I don't mind that it's so hard. It only means that after I learn it, my skills will be that much better."

_He's training to get stronger. Has what I've done made me any stronger? My grandmother put me through that intensive training, but have I gotten any stronger because I know what I know?_

Thinking about that question, I don't know if I can answer that question…

I look to my two teammates, the three of us silent a moment before I speak.

"Do you both think that I've done what I can to improve and get stronger alongside both of you?" I ask nervously.

Both of the boys nod once.

"Will you take your weights off; I wanna spar against you without your weights." He tells me. "I'll take mine off too, so you can see just how far you've come."

I nod my agreement, taking off the training weights while Naruto does so as well. Once we've both removed the weights from our bodies, the two of us stand apart from each other.

He starts by throwing a punch, and I dodge easily. I throw a counterblow, a palm thrust to his chest. I easily strike him, and it appears as though he's moving slowly. Moving my palm away from him, I look him in the eyes.

"Are you holding back, Naruto?" I ask.

He shakes his head.

"How much weight are you wearing?" He asks.

"I don't know…" I say, shrugging to him.

He tries to pick up the weights, and I see him strain trying to pick up the weights. He looks at me, and I see disbelief in his eyes.

"Hinata, I'd say that you're wearing twice the amount of weight I am." He explains to me. "How often do you increase the weight in your weights?"

"I increase it whenever I don't feel the weights are a hindrance to me." I explain to him.

He looks astonished at me, and I feel myself blush at his expression.

"Naruto, you really don't mean that…" I begin, shaking my head. "You're only saying that to try and make me feel better."

"Go ahead and put my weights on." He tells me. "See how easy it is for you to move."

I quickly put his weights on, and I realize that he isn't lying to me. I move so easily with his weights on, and it surprises me.

"How is it possible that I've added more weight then you have?" I ask, still wearing his weights.

It's then that Shino speaks up.

"It is possible that the presence of the Kyuubi No Kitsune within you has aided your physical development." He suggests.

"They tell us in the academy that demon chakra is more intense the human chakra." Naruto begins. "I guess it is possible that the demon's chakra inside of you heals you and allows your muscles to recover and grow faster then a normal human's would."

I lower my head, feeling both ashamed and pathetic at the same time…

_Even though I've known it all my life, this is the first time that either of them have said that I'm not normal…_

"I'm sorry…" I begin.

"What're you sorry for?" Naruto asks.

"I…I've outgrown both you and Shino physically, and I'm a girl…" I respond.

I see Naruto grin.

"The stronger a wife I've got, the stronger I'll be pushed so I can keep up with her." He says with a grin.

I feel all the blood run to my face. The world begins to spin, and I see Naruto's face contort before my vision blurs. I feel my body tilt and fall, Naruto's voice echoing in my ears.

"Hinata…?" I hear him ask before my senses go dark.

&

My sense of feeling is the first to return to me, and I feel a softness through my clothes that seems to accept my entire body. My other senses quickly follow my sense of feeling, and I open my eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling.

_Where am I?_

I sit up and look around the room. I see the room is dark, an LED clock gently glowing next to the bed. I feel a certain air to the room, one I recognize that I've only felt recently…

_This atmosphere, I must be in Naruto's home…_

I look at the clock to see it read 5:30 in the afternoon, and I hear my stomach growl.

I make hand signs, activating my Byakugan to allow me to look around the area. I see I am in fact in the Hokage home, and I see Shino is present as well as the members of the Namikaze family. I see Shino, Naruto and Minato in a sitting room, watching TV while Kushina works in the kitchen.

_They must've brought me here after I passed out. It's no wonder, if they brought me to the Hyuga home, they'd see the branch guard take me away from them and then be told to leave…_

I throw the covers off, shaking my head and getting up out of the bed. I see my training weights lying next to the bed. I slip the weights back on, feeling them take hold and slow my movements. Fortunately it isn't that dark in the room, and I manage to make my way out of the room and into the hall. The light in the hall is bright compared to the bedroom, and my eyes take a moment to adjust. Once my eyes are fine, I walk toward the kitchen with my bare feet gently tapping against the polished hardwood floor.

Going into the kitchen, I see Kushina still in the kitchen, though the woman turns the moment I enter into the area, spotting me immediately.

"Oh, Hinata-chan…" She begins, giving me a smile. "Are you all right? Naruto brought you here claiming you just passed out?"

I nod.

"I did, and I'm fine, thank you for your concern…" I respond to the woman.

Then, the smell peaks into my nostrils.

_This smell, what is she cooking?_

"What's that smell?" I ask, and I see the woman smile a sly smile.

"That's a secret." She says, and then turns back to the kitchen. "You're invited to stay for dinner, if you would like."

"I should speak to my grandmother; inform her that I'm all right…"

"Oh, we already sent an ANBU member to talk to your grandmother. The message he carries says that we'll shelter you for the night, and to send some of your things back with him for you for the test tomorrow in a backpack." She explains to me.

_She's offering to let me stay the night with them? She hardly even knows me, and they're welcoming me into their home like I'm an old friend?_

I see the woman look over her right shoulder at me, and then turn her head back to what she's doing.

"You should go join Mini-kun and the others." Kushina suggests.

"Um, I'd really like to help with dinner…" I begin, but the woman waves me off.

"No, you should enjoy this time." She explains to me. "The second stage of the exam is tomorrow, the last thing you should be doing is working in a kitchen."

"Oh…" I begin, and then a thought occurs to me. "Just how did I get here from training ground 8?" I ask.

I can hear Kushina stifle a giggle.

"Naruto carried you." She tells me matter-of-factly.

I feel my face flush, even though the red haired woman isn't looking to see it.

_If he carried me, then that means he carried me and my weights back here. My passing out caused him to have to carry me back here, I feel horrible…_

I see the woman look over her shoulder at me. Then I see her turn and walk toward me, leaning close and putting her mouth close to my right ear.

"Take good care of my son…" I hear her whisper. "I'm happy that Naruto's found someone…" She finishes.

Unlike at the ramen stand, her tone, her body language all tells me that she's completely serious now. I look up at her after she stands up straight, and I see her smile. I stand there for a long few moments, watching her walk back into the kitchen and resume cooking the dinner.

Finally, I find my voice again.

"Um, please excuse me!" I say, bowing to the woman.

I barely see her nod, and I leave the kitchen. I walk toward the sitting room, entering through the open archway.

Inside the sitting room I see Naruto, Shino and the 4th Hokage sitting on a sofa in front of a big screen TV. When both Naruto and Shino see me, they both stand up. Naruto is the first to speak, though I can tell from Shino's body language that Naruto's thoughts are echoed by the Aburame.

"Hinata, are you all right?" He asks. "After you passed out, I didn't know what was wrong with you…"

I feel myself smile, having never thought that people other then my grandmother would be so concerned about my well-being.

"I'm fine; I just had a blood rush to my head." I tell the both of them.

I see relief wash over both of them, though they both show it in 2 different ways. Naruto openly sighs, while Shino's shoulders slouch ever so slightly. I see the 4th watching the three of us the entire time, his eyes never once leaving the scene before him.

"If you like, you're invited to stay for dinner, and I do hope you're feeling better, Hinata-chan." Minato Namikaze begins. "I am rather curious as to what would cause you to pass out, though…"

"It happened during a light training exercise, I overexerted myself." I say, lying to the man, but for a myriad of reasons. "I used up too much chakra in the 1st stage of the exam and I shouldn't have been training."

"You shouldn't push yourself, none of you should." He warns us all. "The 2nd stage is a lot tougher then the first, and will test your abilities far more then the written portion."

I nod toward the man.

"I already spoke to Kushina-sama…" I explain to him. "She already warned me about training and dinner, and I've already accepted."

I see the man smile.

"Good, it'll be nice to have more then just the three of us for dinner." He begins. "You and Shino are becoming more like family rather then friends." He finishes.

At that point, Kushina's voice echoes from the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready, come and get it!" She yells to all of us.

The four of us leave the sitting area and head toward the dining area, led by the 4th Hokage. Entering into the dining area, I see the large wooden table with a white tablecloth covering it. I see 5 places set around the table. In the middle of the table rests a large 1.5 foot long silver serving dish with a lid on it. Kushina seats us, putting Minato at the head of the table, Naruto and I on one side of the table with Shino sitting across from us. Kushina sits opposite her husband at the other end of the table.

"What're we eating tonight, honey?" Minato asks, and I see Kushina smile.

"It's a dish that was very popular in my home village." She begins, reaching out and removing the lid.

Under the lid, I see a large chunk of what appears to be ground meat of some kind with various vegetables and other things cooked into it…

"It's called 'meatloaf' and is basically ground beef with vegetables cooked in it. It's really good, and I tried to make it like my grandmother used to before we moved here."

"Why not make something like this when we first ate together?" I ask, and I see the woman smile.

"I didn't want to make you two feel awkward eating a strange food the first time we were together." She explains to us. "I hope that awkwardness is gone now, and you consider us at least your good friends." She finishes.

I nod, and I notice Shino do so as well.

"I think you both will really like this. I tried it after I cooked it, and made sure to stick to my grandmother's instructions, it's almost exactly the same as I used to get from her when I was a little girl."

Kushina serves each of us a portion, and then she sits down herself. With a shared 'Itadakimasu' the five of us dig in to the food. Tasting the food, I find it to be delicious, and I give Kushina my approval. I see both Naruto and Shino perform similar actions. I try to think how the dish is made as I eat it, trying to tease out the ingredients and spices as I eat it.

_How could cooking like this not find its way into Konoha? _

I continue to eat, finding myself smiling and enjoying myself with the Namikaze family and my teammates…

&

3 hours later, I stand before the bed I was given, seeing a pink pair of pajamas laid out on it that I've never seen before.

_I've decided to spend the night here, and Shino left about an hour after dinner was over. He said he'd meet us tomorrow morning at the battle training area. _

Walking forward I see the pajamas appear to be made of silk.

_Why do they have a pair of expensive pajamas like this, in MY size?_

Looking around my room, I see the clothes I took off earlier are gone, not even my jacket remaining. I walk to the door, cracking it slightly and I call for Kushina to come to my room.

"Kushina-sama, can I speak to you?" I yell into the hall.

I hear the red haired woman yell an affirmative, so I wait. A few moments later, I see her appear in the doorway wearing a light pink and slightly larger version of the pajamas that were laid out on my bed…

"Where are my other clothes, and my things?" I ask.

"The messenger hasn't come back yet, and I decided I should wash the clothes you wore through the exam." She explains. "I laid those pajamas out for you so you could sleep in them. Are they not suited to you?"

I shake my head.

"No, I was just curious…" I explain. "Thank you for loaning me the pajamas…"

I see the woman smile.

"It's a new family tradition that at night, before we go to sleep that we sit together and talk, and be together." Kushina tells me. "So, after you get dressed, come into the sitting room and join us."

I open my mouth to argue that I'm not a member of their family, but then I close my mouth. Knowing Kushina, she wouldn't take my refusal, and would sooner drag me out then accept a polite declination of her offer.

"All right…" I finally accept, seeing the older woman smile.

"I'll see you out there soon, all right? If you don't come, I'll send Mini-kun back here to drag you out." She says in jest.

I nod, closing the door again. I hear her footsteps fade away, and I turn toward the pink pajamas resting on the bed. I sigh heavily, slipping the soft fabric onto my body, and once the pajamas are in place, they feel incredibly comfortable. I smile at the comfortable clothes, leaving the guest room and walking into the sitting room.

I see Naruto, Kushina and Minato all there already. Naruto wears a pair of light blue pajamas, his father wearing a pair of loose looking light blue sweatpants and a white undershirt. Kushina sits near them, and I see Naruto grin while Kushina practically gets up and pushes me to sit down next to her.

"You look really cute in those pajamas, Hinata." Naruto says, and I feel my face flush instantly, my pointer fingers coming together.

Fortunately, Kushina changes the subject.

"What do you both think of the Chunin exams so far?" Kushina asks.

I notice Naruto grin again.

"I'm glad for the challenge." He says with a grin.

I see Kushina look toward me.

"The exam lives up to its reputation."

"The next proctor is a woman named Anko…" Minato begins. "The exam is in an area called the Forest of Death. I hope that all three of you are careful, and if you feel like you could die, give up. Being a Chunin isn't worth dying over." He warns.

I nod.

"I remember my old teacher…" He begins, reminiscing. "He was a lecherous man and more then once I caught him peeping at the hot springs in town. I wondered if he'd ever really train me or my teammates, and for a long time I didn't think he would."

"How'd you ever get to be Hokage if you had a lecher for a teacher, father?" Naruto asks.

"Well, when he became serious, he's one of the strongest Shinobi who ever came out of Konoha…"

_Who could he be talking about? What kind of person could teach him and make him into a powerful ninja, but also be lecher at the same time?_

"What do you both think of your teacher, Kurenai?" Minato asks.

"I think she's great, she's smart, fast, and powerful." Naruto says.

"Um, she treats me like a person, and she's caring and guiding…" I admit.

I notice Minato smile when his wife moves from next to me to sit next to her husband. I then see him become incredibly solemn.

"I am sorry that you have had to go through so much." He admits to me. "I never meant to burden you with the Kyuubi."

I shake my head.

"The demon has only made me stronger, and when I become clan leader, the victory will be all the sweeter." I explain.

The 4th Hokage smiles.

"I'm glad to hear that…" He tells me.

Sitting there, we keep talking as 4 people, and I find myself thinking a strange thought.

_This must be what it's like to have a family. Am I really better off with my father dead, even if the clan is in danger because of it? If he weren't dead, I doubt I'd be this close to the 4__th__ Hokage and his family and be this happy with them. In fact, Naruto and his family have been more loving and caring then my own grandmother at times…_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Forest of Death

(Well, this is 10, and since so many of you were wondering where Hinata's things were, I decided to write this little Extra chapter before Chapter 10 proper. My beta took a while with this, and some stuff happened in his personal life, so I just got it today. I've sent him 11 already, and I'm working on writing 12. I hope you enjoy how I worked with the other plot lines happening during the 2nd Round. Also, and comments or criticism is welcome, and I do listen…)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Omake: Reflections

_How long do these people plan on making me wait? In the 5 years I've been in ANBU, I've never had to wait this long for anything outside of a mission!_

_Though, if you think about it, this is a mission, it just isn't the kind we're normally assigned…_

My name is Yukie Sakamoto, and I'm a member of Konoha's elite ANBU, assigned to the personal guard of 4th Hokage Minato Namikaze. I possess long blue hair, which hangs down to my mid back, though I keep it brushed back and out of my face. I have blue eyes, which people say sparkle like water. Since most of my male…comrades have attempted to ask me out on a date, I guess I'm attractive, though I've never been one to give much thought to such things…

I wear a standard ANBU uniform, a black shirt and black pants with black open toed shoes. I wear a protective dark gray vest on my chest, with shin and arm guards made of dark gray metal that matches the vest. Over my right shoulder I wear a small wakizashi, and on missions I wear a boar's mask.

Currently, I sit in the Hyuga manor, on a mission from the Hokage to retrieve clothing and supplies for the young Hyuga heiress, Hinata.

_Kami, what's taking these people so damn long?_

I sit in an ornate, darkly stained chair with comfortable padding resting against my back and butt. I sit with my arms crossed, my mask resting on my left thigh. My right pointer finger impatiently taps against my left upper arm, showing both my boredom and a childhood habit that I have yet to break myself of.

_25 years on this Earth and I can't break myself of a childhood impatient habit… WHAT IS TAKING SO DAMN LONG?_

The mission was simple; Hinata Hyuga had passed out during a light training exercise, and would be convalescing at the Hokage manor along with his wife and his son, the young boy the Hyuga's teammate, and apparently already a good friend. One of the Aburame had been there when I was dispatched, though it didn't seem like the kikai user would remain at the Hokage manor longer then dinner…

Anyways, I was sent by the Hokage not only to retrieve supplies for the young Hyuga as well as deliver the message that the girl was safe, and would be staying the night with the Hokage. Many of the veterans in the ANBU that I've spoken to about the girl during the short time that Naruto has been with her have oft spoken reverently of her. They speak of the attack 12 years ago, of the sheer power the Kyuubi No Kitsune, and the fact that the young Hyuga contains that demon, protecting not only the village, but also everyone in it. From my time with the ANBU, I've seen first how the common people of the village treat the Hyuga child, and how the Hokage always reacts to the reports from the ANBU squad tailing his son, observing and protecting both him and anyone he's with while in the village. The Hyuga being the Jinchuriki for the Nine Tailed demon is something he looks at as a personal failure, since it was his being injuried by one of the demon's tails that caused the Hyuga to become the container for the beast.

_From what I've heard, Minato-sama still has the scar from when the demon's tail hit him while he stood atop Gamabunta. I've heard it runs from his right shoulder down to the left side of his ribs. The demon's chakra so vile and intense it actually burned through his clothing and into his skin. _

While I have had very little experience with the young Hyuga heiress, I have both worked and dealt with other members of Hyuga clan, and for the most part they're all arrogant bastards that think they're better then everyone else…

_Though, it doesn't seem like Hinata feels that way. From what I've seen, the girl is so melancholy it's almost as though she's depressed, and she only seems to brighten up when she's around her teammates or her teacher. Then again, I've never seen her when she's alone with her grandmother, not that anyone outside this clan of white eyed bastards has seen the two of them together since Hinata began attending the academy…_

_Rumor has it that the current clan leader, Hibana is weakening, and knows that she doesn't have much time left. Because of that, and Hinata's inability to step up as clan leader, one of the branch family leaders is supposed to assume temporary control of the entire clan, but rumor has it that he won't settle for temporary control. Lately, one of the reasons Hokage-sama has had us tailing Naruto while he's in the village is because he wants ANBU guarding Hinata, since he believes that the branch leader, a man named Hizashi, will try something to try and get rid of her, and remove her threat to his power. I personally can't fathom how someone could have someone killed just for a simple status like leader of a clan in Konoha. I mean, no one's ever died over the title of Hokage, and the Hokage IS the leader of the entire village. So why would this man be willing to kill over being leader of the Hyuga clan?_

I glance around the room again, my annoyance showing in the speed at which my index finger taps. The room is well decorated, fitting for the pompous arrogant bastards that seem to make up the majority of the Hyuga clan. Chairs like the one I sit in, line 3 of the 4 walls in the room, a large oval-shaped marble table resting in the middle of the room. Opposite the wall I sit against, is the wall with the sliding door that opens to my right.

_Kami, I've been here 2 hours already and the only person I've spoken to is that stupid ass guard outside the front gate…_

With nothing better to do, I think about what's happened since I left the Hokage manor over 2 hours ago. The trip to the Hyuga manor had been quick and easy, and I made no attempt to conceal my presence. I stopped in front of the front gate, identifying myself and revealing my face to the guard. I told him I had a message pertaining to Hinata Hyuga, and needed to speak with Hibana Hyuga. The guard told me I would have to wait, and disappeared into the mansion, leaving me standing in front of the gate. Nearly an hour later, the guard reemerged and told me to follow him. I assumed that I would be led to the clan leader, but instead I was brought to the sitting room, and told I would have to wait, that Hibana was in a village council meeting and would meet with me as soon as the meeting was over…

I grind my teeth in annoyance, my breathing fuming from my nostrils. While I am not a stranger to watching and waiting, I do not see the point in making me wait over 2 hours for a simple, 15 minute meeting.

I glance up at the ceiling, seeing the ornate, polished gold light fixture hanging from the 10 foot high ceiling, the chandelier fitting the image of the Hyuga home. Turning my gaze downwards to the polished hardwood floor, I shake my head.

_When I get back, I'm going to register my displeasure with my squad leader. This is absolute bullshit. There is no excuse to keep a member of the ANBU waiting, what if Hinata had been injuried, and I required some special Hyuga technique or tool to help her and prevent her from dying? This lack of attention is both stupid and arrogant; as though there's nothing wrong with making other people wait to speak with the all important clan leader of the Hyuga…_

"White eyed bastards…" I breathe to myself, barely audible to even me.

Another 15 minutes passes before finally the door to the hall slides open, and I see an older woman with dark indigo hair enter the room. She possesses the Hyuga eyes, and wears formal white robes, which hang from her body. While her body is in athletic shape for someone of her advanced years, her face and wrinkles adorning it show her age, and the position she shouldn't be in…

_Well, what do you expect, her son died in the Kyuubi attack, and with Hinata as the only other main family member, she doesn't have much choice._

With the old woman's entrance I grasp my mask with my left hand and stand up.

"Hibana Hyuga-sama, I presume…?" I ask, adding the honorific intentionally.

The old woman nods.

"You are a member of the Hokage's ANBU, and you have a message pertaining to my granddaughter?" The woman asks, getting straight to the point.

I nod.

"Hinata passed out during a light training exercise, and will be staying the night with Hokage-sama and his family. I am here to inform you as well as ask that a bag of supplies for Hinata be prepared with clothes and other essential supplies."

The woman nods, absorbing the information as I speak it. I see relief pass through her eyes, her arms shifting, her hands coming together in front of her with her posture relaxing.

"Thank you…" She begins. "I realize that you have been made to wait an extremely long time, and for that, I apologize." She says with an earnest tone.

_What is this?_

"May I ask what took so long at a village council meeting?"

The woman sighs, her shoulders slouching as she breathes out the long breath.

"It was my son's twin, Hizashi…" She says with a weary tone. "As you are well aware, I am not long for this world, and Hizashi is poised to assume temporary control of the clan after I am gone. Today was the first village council meeting where he was allowed to accompany me, so he may get accustomed to the responsibilities of the clan leader. He spoke much during the meeting, and while I was there, the other members of the council wanted to hear what he had to say, even though he possesses no power, yet…"

_She had twins? Why not just make this Hizashi guy the clan leader then, what's the big deal?_

"So, it was Hizashi's presence that was the cause of the delay…" I respond, and she nods.

"I will have one of my attendants prepare Hinata's backpack for you." She informs me. "Remain here, and one of them will come to you with the bag."

I nod, and see the woman turn, walking out of the room without another word.

_Well, that was different then what I thought I was going to have to deal with…_

I originally thought that I would have an argument on my hands, with the clan leader demanding Hinata be brought back to the Hyuga mansion immediately. I was prepared to stand firm in my argument that the Hokage outranks the Hyuga leader, but I never had to use the argument, and the woman seemed almost relieved to hear the message…

True to her word, not 10 minutes later the door opens and another Hyuga stands in the doorway holding a large gray hiking backpack. The young man hands me the pack, telling me it belongs to Hinata herself, and was prepared with clothing and essential supplies. I nod my thanks, and the Hyuga attendant disappears into the hallway without another word.

I sigh to myself, slinging the backpack on my empty left shoulder. I leave the sitting room, taking the path back to the front entrance of the Hyuga home. Once I'm outside, I take to the trees and return to the Hokage's manor. The trip is uneventful, the other ANBU guards allowing me to pass by without as much as a sound. I enter the Hokage manor, walking toward the guest room, quiet as a ghost…

It is late, well into the night, and I know that the Hokage likes to get to bed around 10 o'clock at night on the nights he can get so sleep. I move to the guest room without making a sound, and I find the room given to Hinata easily enough. I open the door without as much as a creak, entering into the room without a sound. I see the Hyuga heir lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully in a pair of pink silk pajamas. The girl looks peaceful as she lies curled up there, and I can't help but shake my head at the stupidity inherent in the way most of the villagers treat her…

_She's a shinobi of our village, an ally to the Hokage and from what I've heard has never done anything wrong, why can't they see her for her, and not for the demon she has locked inside of her…_

I shake my head again, setting the backpack down near the door; I glance at the Hyuga girl again, allowing a brief smile for her.

_She's found people that do see her for her, and not for the demon. When her grandmother dies, I wouldn't be surprised if she left the Hyuga manor all together. I know that Kushina-senpai would gladly have her, and Minato-sama would be in total agreement with his wife on the matter…_

"You're a lucky girl…" I mutter to myself, the Hyuga heir shifting against the blankets.

With that, I slip out of the room, closing the door without a sound…

Chapter 10: The Forest of Death

The next morning I awake to see a large backpack resting just inside the door to this room. Looking at it, I recognize it as the backpack I usually take on extended missions.

_I guess it must've been an ANBU that snuck into my room last night. It's no wonder I didn't wake up…_

I throw the covers off of my body and get out of bed. Using the clothes and items in the backpack, I got ready for the day ahead of me. I use the attached bathroom, making sure I'm presentable…

_Can't go around looking like a ruffian, not when I'm the daughter of the Hyuga clan…_

Once I'm done in the bathroom, and ready to sling the backpack over my shoulders, I hear Kushina's voice from beyond the door.

"Hinata-chan, are you awake?" I hear the woman ask.

"Yes…" I respond, forcing myself not to nod.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, you should come and eat." She explains to me.

With that, I hear the older woman's footsteps recede, leaving me alone once again.

_I thought I woke up early, but she beat me to the punch…_

With the backpack on my back I leave the guest room and walk toward the kitchen. My feet plod lightly against the hardwood floor. Making my way through the Hokage home, I find Kushina in the kitchen, with Naruto and Minato nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Naruto and Hokage-sama?" I ask.

I barely see the woman grin.

"They're outside, 'warming up'." Kushina vaguely explains.

"What…?" I ask, completely clueless as to what she means.

"Just go look, they're in the backyard."

I mumble an affirmative before leaving the kitchen. Using my Byakugan and a rough knowledge of the house, I find my way to the backyard. Once I'm there, I see both Naruto and his father standing apart from each other. Looking at them, they both stand in an odd taijutsu stance that I've never seen anyone use before…

_I studied all the other forms of taijutsu in the village, and I've never seen that before…_

"All right Naruto, half speed only…" Minato explains to his son.

I see him nod once, completely understanding the short statement.

_Half speed, what's he talking about?_

A moment later, I see the two of them go after each other. I watch in awe as their bodies move like blurs of motion. Without the Byakugan, I cannot see their chakra, but watching them move, there's no way they're moving that quickly without it. They move like blurs, both father and son moving at the same speed, and I wonder just what I'm seeing…

_What is this? I've never seen any form of taijutsu that moves that quickly? If this is only half as fast as he can really move, I'd hate to see how quick he is when he's moving at full speed…_

Somehow, during the blur of motion they become, I see Naruto knocked backward. A moment later I see his collar jerk, his father's right hand outstretched, grabbing at the collar to prevent him from falling over. Looking at the two of them, I see both Naruto and Minato smile at each other, a nearly identical smile that I've seen countless times before…

"You're getting better, though your moves are still a little sloppy. Just keep working on the forms and keep using the weights, and soon you'll be able to use it without a problem."

Naruto nods his agreement, still smiling a beaming, happy smile.

I see the Fourth Hokage turn toward me, his smile lowering to only a sly smirk.

"So, did you enjoy our little presentation?" He asks me, looking right at me.

"Um, I didn't mean to intrude…" I begin, but the man waves his hand dismissively.

"Come and get it…!" I hear Kushina yell, showing her tomboy side.

"We should head for the kitchen…" Minato begins. "Best not to keep my wife waiting…"

Both Naruto and I follow the Fourth Hokage into the kitchen, taking a seat at their table. Sitting at their table, I feel welcome, relaxed…

_Like I belong…_

The thought is so sudden, so out of nowhere that I feel a chill run down my spine. However, I can't think further on it before Kushina begins to speak.

"Here you go…" She begins, serving her son and her husband, and I notice both of them licking their lips.

A strange new smell wafts in the air, and I can't say I can identify what the new smell is, much the same as I couldn't identify the dish from dinner the night before.

"Kushina-sama, what's that smell?" I ask, not trying to offend.

I see Naruto grin.

"It's one of mom's special recipes from her home…" Naruto comments while staring down at his plate.

"They're called Pancakes, and they're really good…" The woman of the house tells me.

I hear both Naruto and Minato say 'Itadakimasu' and dig in. I look to see both Naruto and his father eating normally, so I just shrug my shoulders. I cut a small section of the doughy cake and take it to my mouth. A moment after, the food is gone from mouth I tear into the portion of pancakes given to me. Once I'm finished with my portion, I feel full. I look to Kushina, seeing her sitting, eating her own portion…

"Kushina-sama, where did you learn to cook things like this and that meatloaf we had last night?" I ask. "These recipes don't exist in this village."

"My mother brought a book of recipes from the Whirlpool village." The red haired woman explains. "It has a lot of my grandmother's recipes in it, and it's what I use as a reference. The foods in them are almost unknown now, since the whirlpool was annihilated shortly after I was born…"

With that, Kushina finishes eating, followed by her husband then Naruto. I see Kushina stand up.

"You two need to get going…" She begins. "You both have to get to the exam grounds before the exam begins."

With the reminder, it's like a fire is lit beneath me. I excuse myself from the table, grabbing the backpack before I leave. I stop at the archway leading from the kitchen to the rest of the home. I see Naruto grab a small pack, slinging it onto his shoulders and following me through the house. The both of us slip our shoes on and then leave the Hokage home, taking to the rooftops to make our way to the designated area. The two of us move as quickly as we can toward the designated area, though both of us wear our restraining weights…

Arriving at the training ground, I see Shino waiting there. I look to see that there are other genin here, but not all of the genin that passed the first stage of the exam are present, yet…

I look around to see the fence that surrounds the training area. I see what looks like a street stand set up, with 2 silent Chunin sitting behind it.

_What's going on, what are the two of them doing here?_

I glance down to my watch and I see there's still 10 minutes before the exam officially begins. I take my bag from my back, going through it again. I double check my supplies, seeing that my grandmother (or someone she appointed to the task) packed my bag well, making sure to pack food as well as spare weapons.

_There's even a canteen in here…_

I see Shino shift his weight, and for a moment I swear that the boy looks stockier then he did before…

_Well, he has said that he's been working out. I never bothered to look when we were at the Hokage's home…_

Before I can ask what's different with Shino, I see more students begin to arrive, and I close my mouth. More students continue to show up, and when my watch shows time for the exam to begin, Anko Mitarashi appears in a large puff of smoke, gathering the attention of the assembled genin around her.

"All right, listen up!" She yells out. "This is the second stage of the Chunin exams, and it will be a survival test. However, it won't be your standard survival test. Rather, you'll be issued either a heaven or earth scroll…" She explains, withdrawing a black and a white scroll, the black one having 'earth' written on it with the white one having 'heaven' written on it. "Your task will be to attain both a heaven and earth scroll, and then proceed to the tower at the center of this battle area, called the 'Forest of Death'." She continues. "However, before you can take this stage of the exam, you'll have to sign a consent form, removing liability from the village if you die during the exam." She continues.

She goes into her jacket, returning the scrolls and withdrawing a large stack of papers. She hands the papers to every Genin present, and then opens her mouth again.

"All right, each person in your squad will sign the consent form, and then proceed to the stand, we'll hand out the scrolls and then you'll be led to one of the gates that enter into the forest. Once all of you are in the proper position and ready to go, we'll open the gates and the test will begin. You'll have 3 days to complete the test, anyone who isn't at the tower at the end of the 3rd day will automatically fail, and all that lose their scrolls will fail as well. Finally, anyone who opens the scrolls before arrival at the tower will immediately fail the test, regardless of the reason." She finishes.

With that, things proceed smoothly, if not mechanically. The scrolls are handed out, and both Naruto and I agree to give our heaven scroll to Shino.

"I shall do all in my power to maintain possession of this scroll, and not fail in this responsibility." He responds after receiving the scroll.

With that, the three of us leave the stand and are led to a gate by one of many Chunin helping out with the exam. After 15 long minutes, the Chunin opens the gates, flinging them open. The three of us look at each other, and then we all leap into the forest, with Naruto and Shino close behind me, my Byakugan activated…

_Here we go…_

&

10 minutes after we're into the forest, I hear Shino call for all of us to stop. I land on the branch I was heading toward, with Naruto landing next to me. I look back to see the Aburame standing on the branch I was standing on, his eyes cast upward. I look up, and my eyes lock on to what my teammate is looking at.

A large honey comb like bee hive rests on a tree ahead. For the moment the hive is quiet, but I'm no expert on bees…

I feel a shiver run down my spine at the thought of the insects, and the extremely large hive in front of us. I consciously move backward, returning to the branch that Shino stands on. A moment later Naruto follows me, though our teammate's eyes never leave the hive…

_Is it because he's an Aburame, does he have some fascination with insects?_

"Shino…?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

For the first time in a long time, I see the boy start, and then he slowly turns and looks at me.

"We should detour around this area…" He explains. "That hive belongs to a vicious breed of large wasp that could easily kill three 12-year-old children."

I nod, glancing at the silent hive a moment, and then turning back to my teammate.

"You're right…" I concur with him.

I barely notice Naruto nod.

"Yeah, bees give me the creeps…" He mutters.

The three of us begin to move again, going around the large hive with a wide berth. Once we start moving again, I activate my Byakugan, keeping the dojutsu active, using it to scan the area and make sure that no one is sneaking up on us…

_You shouldn't have turned it off back there. If you hadn't, you would've known about that hive and could've warned everyone before Shino even noticed it. Instead you nearly walked right into it…_

I shake my head; coming to a quick decision that self-beratement can wait for later. Once again I look through the dojutsu in a circular pattern that sweeps around us, my attention traveling around in a circle.

10 minutes after we found the hive, something appears within my range. Immediately I motion for both Naruto and Shino to stop, both boys following the sign without question. The three of us land on a branch, and I focus my attention, looking toward the new sight near the limit of my range…

I see Squad 7, and a fourth person all standing together. Sasuke and the strange 4th person appear to be talking. I focus on the fourth person, seeing he's dressed in a yellow robe with black pants and open toed shoes. He wears the headband of the grass village, and has long dark hair.

Focusing even more with my Byakugan, I look to see his chakra network, and inside the grass ninja I see anything but a normal genin body or chakra network. I see strange tattoos on his arms; his entire body looking like it's been twisted and changed around from the inside. His chakra network is unlike any other genin I've seen in the exams, with more chakra inside it then any genin rightly should have. I see the face I see is a mask, hidden beneath the mask is a man with yellow eyes and purple eyeliner. His skin is pale white, and I see a long tongue rolled up in his throat…

_Who in the world is that?_

I see the man LOOK at Squad 7, and I see each of them freeze up, fear clutching their bodies, even Akamaru whimpers and ducks his head underneath Kiba's coat. The bloodlust coming off of the man is almost visible, and even at this distance I feel a shiver run down my spine. I see him uncross his arms, taking a single step forward. I see Sasuke reach into his pocket, withdrawing his scroll and holding it out for the man. He yells something, saying something along the lines of 'this is what you want, well take it and leave!' He throws the scroll at the man, and the strange man catches it, a smirk appearing on his face. A moment later, black flames consume the scroll, burning it to ash. I see the older man say something like 'preys don't dictate terms to the predator' while the scroll burns. Then, Sasuke charge the man, going after the man with a taijutsu combination of punches and kicks. I watch the Uchiha attack the man in defense of his teammates, with each of his blows parried by the older man. I watch the older man throw Sasuke off of him like the Uchiha is nothing but a fly, seeing the older man mutter 'good…' to himself. The Uchiha charges, yelling out to Kiba to take Sakura and run for it, and at that moment it seems Kiba comes back from whatever dream state he'd drifted off to. The Inuzuka vehemently denies Sasuke's suggestion; instead he puts Akamaru down and gives orders to the dog. I see the dog change into a copy of Kiba, and both Kiba and Akamaru charge for the grass ninja. I watch Sasuke spring back, Kiba and Akamaru striking the grass genin with a spinning attack of some kind. The grass ninja flies from between the two spinning grinders, and then flips in mid air and lands on his feet. I see he's taken hardly any damage from the attack, muttering something about an 'annoying pest.'

"Hinata…?" I hear Naruto's voice, pulling me back to where I am, and I nearly jump. "Are you all right, do you see something?"

I look to my teammates, and I see both of them looking at me with curious, concerned expressions. Neither of them can possibly know about Squad 7 and what's happening right now…

_So, I've got a decision to make. This test is every squad for themselves, and no one on Squad 7 is really friends with me or either Naruto and Shino. If I tell them about what's going on, they'll want to go help, to try and fight that…thing that's masquerading as a Grass Genin. If I keep quiet, it's very possible that man will kill Kiba, Sasuke and Sakura. However, there's no guarantee that the three of us will be of any help even if we do go and try to rescue them. Judging from that man's chakra, he isn't a genin, and shouldn't be in this exam. Whoever he is, he's obviously out of our league; and the intelligent thing to do would be to avoid him and try to finish the test, then tell the Hokage about it and let his ANBU handle it._

_But, Naruto and Shino won't go for that, they'd both want to try and help them just because Squad 7 is the same age as we are, and they'd want the help if the situation was reversed…_

_So, once again, I've got a decision to make. I can tell them about it, and risk getting killed for people that wouldn't return the favor, or I can just make something up, and live to see another day…(this last sentence makes Hinata seem like a coward…you should add something like: live to see another day and warn the Hokage. It makes her seem like cowardly, unless you were going for that…)_

I come to a quick decision.

"It's nothing…" I tell the both of them, looking away from the battle. "I just saw some waterfall genin run into some leech monsters, but they have a heaven scroll, so it's no use to us." I explain.

I see Naruto nod, though Shino looks at me, behind the sunglasses I can see suspicion on his face.

"Is that all?" He asks.

_Can he really read me that well?_

"Yes, that's all…" I tell them both, lying through my teeth.

He pushes his sunglasses up, and Naruto nods.

"Well, we'd better get going then, we got to find an Earth scroll and then get to the tower, right?" Naruto asks.

I nod, not for a moment regretting my decision.

"Yes, we should get going, we've only got three days, and I'd rather finish this test as soon as possible."

With that, the three of us resume our trek through the forest, the two of them once again being led by me. I lead the three of us away from Squad 7, a final thought coming to mind as the battle leaves my range of vision.

_Well, it's just bad luck that they ended up running into that freak, too bad. But, if that grass guy prevents them from passing the test, then that's less competition in the next round. If he kills them, it isn't like there's anything we can do to stand up to him…_

&

Resuming our hunt for an Earth scroll, I quickly find a group of cloud genin who are together, apparently planning strategy to try and pass the exam. I see among them is an Earth scroll, and I immediately notify Naruto and Shino 100 yards between where we are and the three genin. We have a quick planning session, and then the three of us go into action.

Shino uses his flying kikai, keeping them in small groups, sending them toward the three genin. Kikai by kikai, he slowly leeches away the three genin's chakra while Naruto prepares 15 shadow clones. We wait for nearly an hour before the genin begin to notice their diminishing chakra supply. Then, we spring our trap. The 15 shadow clones leap our, pouncing on the three genin, five on each of them. The five shadow clones pound on their targets, fists and feet meeting flesh and bone. The three genin try to counter, to turn the tables, but the real Naruto, Shino and I all stop that before it can happen.

Not 10 minutes after our trap is sprung, I hold an Earth scroll in my left hand in front of me. Looking toward the three fallen genin, I see one of them has a damaged chakra network with several-closed tenketsu. The second has more bruises then I care to count, and finally the third doesn't have a speck of chakra left in him. All three of them are alive, but unconscious, our victims…

"We should proceed with the test…" Shino explains. "These three will not remain unconscious for long, and the sooner we arrive at the tower, the sooner our lives will no longer be in danger."

I see Naruto nod his agreement with the Aburame, and I do the same. Pocketing the scroll, the three of us take off, heading toward the tower with all due haste…

On the way to the tower, another team of genin enters into my vision. I see 6 people ahead. I motion for Naruto and Shino to stop.

"Do you see something, Hinata?" Naruto asks.

I nod.

"I see the three Genin from the sand village ahead of us; they look like they're fighting against genin from the Rain village." I explain.

I see the girl and the boy with a puppet strapped to his back step back away from the rain genin. I see the red haired boy with the giant gourd on his back step forward. The rain genin starts talking, and I see the red haired boy simply shrug him off.

I see the rain genin unfurl two umbrellas and throw them into the air. I watch as his chakra suspends the umbrellas, and then the umbrellas begin to spin. I see Senbon fly from the umbrellas, raining down toward the Sand genin. I see the girl and the boy in black both take cover, while the red haired boy simply stands there with his arms crossed. I see sand leap from his gourd and surround him, covering his body as the needles fly toward him…

_The sand, is he moving it on his own?_

The sand stops the needles, and I see the needles fall away a moment after the sand begins to slowly fall away. The genin gasps in surprised, and I see the boy in black speak. He says something along the lines of 'Gaara doesn't have to manipulate the sand, it moves on it's own to protect him. There's no way you can harm him with a technique like that.' After that, I see the two umbrellas fall to the ground. A moment later I see the red haired boy extend his right hand, sand launching out from him and wrapping the three rain genin in shells of sand. I see both the girl and the black clad boy pick up the umbrellas when the red haired one called Gaara closes his right fist. I see the sand compress against the rain genin bodies, crushing their bones and their muscles like they're nothing…

_Oh my lord…_

I see the boy smirk as he lowers his hand, a grin spreading across his face.

_What is wrong with him?_

I see the one in black walk forward, discarding the umbrella as he does. I see him say something to the red haired boy, and I see the red haired boy glare at him, and then say something along the lines of 'shut up.' The black clad one continues speaking, saying something about 'while the exams don't really pose a threat to you, both Temari and I could be killed out here. It'll be bad for our mission if we die…'

_Temari, is he talking about the girl?_

I see the blonde girl open her mouth, saying something that looks like she says 'Kankuro's right, we need to leave now Gaara, we've got the scrolls we need, let's go…'

_Kankuro must be the one in black, and that means 'Gaara' must be the freak with red hair…_

I see Gaara look at Temari, and then to Kankuro, and then I see him sigh. I see him mutter something, and then the three of them take to the air, heading toward the tower.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, what happened?" Naruto asks.

I swallow the saliva in my throat.

"The red haired one, called Gaara; he killed all three of the rain genin on his own, without any help from his teammates." I explain.

Through the Byakugan I see Naruto shift, with Shino pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"He killed an entire team of genin? He must possess incredible abilities for him to fight at a level like he does…"

I nod again.

"He manipulates sand, and the one in black looks to use a puppet, the girl carries around a large fan…" I describe the other two.

"So, I guess we should look out for the three of them?" Naruto asks.

I nod.

"They're heading to the tower, I suggest we wait an hour and let them finish before we try following them. Gaara looks as though he's psychotic, and might want to stop to fight us."

I see Naruto nod, though Shino makes no outward expression of emotion.

"It would be logical…" He points out.

I scan the area, finding an old tree that's fallen but not dangerous."Let's go, I've found a descent hiding spot." I explain to them.

&

An hour later, the three of us leave our tree and head toward the tower, confident that the three sand genin are long done the exam. Even only a few hours into the exam, I can see through my Byakugan to the tower, and the people that lie in wait around it. With nearly 100 feet between our location and the tower, I motion for the three of us to stop, Naruto and Shino doing exactly as instructed without complaint. The three of us stop, and I remain slightly in front of both of the boys.

"What's wrong Hinata?" Naruto asks.

"Ahead of us…" I begin. "There are several shinobi lying in wait…"

"That's understandable…" Shino begins. "Scouring the forest looking for a scroll is time consuming, logically it would be wiser to lie in wait for a team with both scrolls to pass and ambush them, taking the scroll needed and then proceeding to the tower."

"Yeah, except we've got Hinata, and with her, we can get around them…" Naruto counters and I shake my head.

"There are teams of shinobi lying in wait around the entire tower. They each have a small area covered, and it would be virtually impossible for a team of three to sneak past."

"Well, what about if we follow another team of genin, let them take care of the people lying in wait, and then blow by them while they're fighting?"

I see Shino shake his head.

"To do that, we would have to wait until the exam is nearly over." He points out. "Many teams of genin are going to wait until the exam is nearly over before they attempt to come to the tower, and it's for that reason that they lie in wait. For us to remain within the forest would be a foolish maneuver." He finishes.

I nod, and I see Naruto gain a look of understanding as well.

"So, what do we do then? If we can't wait them out, and we can't use another team of genin as a diversion…" Naruto says.

I see Shino push his sunglasses up toward his face.

"I have an idea, though your abilities with the Shadow clone jutsu will play a major part in my plan…" Shino explains.

I listen intently while the Aburame explains his idea for the three of us to get into the tower. Once he's done, I can't help but feel my admiration for his strategic knowledge go up a notch…

"We should begin…" Shino begins. "Our time is short, and the quicker we complete the exam, the sooner our lives will no longer be in danger."

I nod my agreement, but before the three of us can begin our trip to the tower, I hear a young, male voice that I've never heard before.

"Well, look at what we got here…" I hear his voice.

Immediately I curse myself for not paying attention with my Byakugan. I spin around, facing the three genin, sizing them up and assuming a gentle fist stance.

The three genin wear hidden mist headbands, and are all relatively non-descript. They each wear tan colored clothes with blue sandals. One has dark hair and brown eyes, another has red hair with green eyes, and the third has dark blue hair with red eyes. The red haired one stands between the other two, and the three of them are all boys. The three of them also appear to be in the mid teenaged range, though I can't tell exactly…

_Well, I guess it isn't uncommon where they come from for a team of genin to be all male. In Konoha it's practice to have a team of mixed sexes, usually 2 boys and 1 girl to balance things out…_

I see the voice belongs to the red haired genin, a sly smirk on his face while he looks down at the three of us.

"Why don't you three just drop whatever scrolls you got, and scamper on out of here?" The red haired one asks.

"How about you go shove it up your ass…!" Naruto retorts.

The blue haired one looks toward the son of the Fourth Hokage.

"You're pretty foul mouthed for a leaf brat…" The blue haired one mutters, his voice deep and smooth.

"The vulgarity of my teammate's words not withstanding, I concur with the thought behind the words…" Shino says, and I see him drop into a taijutsu stance.

Naruto does the same, and I see the dark haired one grin.

"Looks like the little brats won't give up without a fight…" He mutters, kneeling, with both of his forearms resting on his knees.

"Let's kill em…" The blue haired one mutters.

I see the red head nod.

"I'm all for that…" He mutters.

The three of them leap from the tree, charging for us.

"I'll handle the girl!" The red head yells.

I keep my face cold while the three of them approach. I wait until he's too close, seeing the boy draw a kunai from his pouch and holding it like a knife. I dive into the air, tucking my legs in and rolling into a ball. I extend my feet, using my Byakugan to keep track of him. My feet impact his chest, and I use my chakra to attach my feet to his chest for a moment, then I arch my body backward, creating momentum. I release my chakra hold when my spin has him going down, releasing the boy and sending him plummeting toward the ground below the forest canopy. I land on a branch, grabbing a kunai from my pouch I spin around, swatting three shuriken thrown from the red haired mist genin during his fall. I see him land on the ground, so I go to my pouch with my left hand. I grab three shuriken of my own and hurl them toward him. I see him hold a kunai, ready to swat the weapons out of the air while I jump from the branch to the ground. I charge forward while he swats the shuriken away. I see him block the last of the shuriken well before I'm within striking range, so I grab another kunai from my pouch, holding it in my right hand. I see the boy's green eyes shift to me, an emotionless mask on his face. I swing the knife in my right hand, seeing him eye the blade, using the kunai in his left arm to block my strike. The weapons clang when they impact, and I waste no time. I drop the knife in my right hand and shift left, spinning to move around him. My hands shoot out during the spin, striking the tenketsu near his ribs and along his right arm. I see him grimace when my strikes land, his right arm going limp when I land the final blow.

I come to a stop behind him in a gentle fist stance, and my hands shoot out, striking tenketsu in his chest, my chakra stabbing into his body. Fortunately, I've had more then enough time to get used to the weight in my restraints, and even get a little faster with them on. After I strike 5 of the vital points of the chakra system, his left arm moves in a backhand motion, trying to strike me with the knife in my temple, forcing me to duck and move back, getting out of his striking range. He looks toward me, and I see his face contorted in an angry expression.

"What the hell have you done to me, woman?" He demands.

Rather then respond verbally, I grasp three shuriken and throw them toward the mist boy. He uses his remaining good arm to deflect the shuriken while I charge forward. He sees me charge, and after deflecting the shuriken he swings his right arm in a horizontal slash. I duck under his blow, my right palm extending outward and striking his stomach. My chakra shockwaves through his body, rippling through his system and disorients him. I see his eyelids get heavy, the strike inducing a temporary unconsciousness. I watch him fall, his face coming to a stop at my feet.

_Guess I should thank grandmother for teaching me that during the last week…_

I look through my Byakugan to see Shino and the blue haired genin standing apart from each other. Shino has his hands in his pockets, with a swarm of flying kikai surrounding the mist genin. I see ground based bugs crawling forward, preparing a two pronged attack on the boy's chakra. The mist genin looks desperate, as though he'd try anything to get out of his situation. I see his hands come together, and a moment later the swarm covers his body, the ground based bugs joining their flying counterparts in an attack on the genin's chakra. I hear him scream for a few moments before the bugs drain him dry, the flying kikai leaving his body the second the last of his chakra is gone. His body falls forward, the boy unconscious and nearly dead while the ground based bugs crawl back to their master. I see Shino remove his hands from his pockets and extend both of his arms. The flying kikai fly into his sleeves while the ground based bugs crawl up his right leg…

I feel a shiver run down my spine at the thought of bugs crawling on my skin…

_I don't know how he can stand it…_

I find the last standing mist genin facing off against Naruto and 5 of his shadow clones. I see 2 of the Narutos, presumably clones fighting with the boy hand to hand while I can only assume the real Naruto holds his right hand out while 2 clones mold chakra coming out of his hand. I watch as the 2 clones form a stable ball of spinning blue chakra in his right hand. The two clones disappear in puffs of smoke while the other 2 clones fight against the mist genin. I see the boy charge forward, holding the spinning ball of chakra in his right hand. It's only then that the mist genin notices the real Naruto, though one of his shadow clones takes the opportunity to grab the boy from behind, the clone wrapping his right arm around the mist genin's neck.

"Now…!" The clone yells out.

I see Naruto smirk a moment, and then…

"RASENGAN…!" He shouts out, driving his technique into the mist genin's stomach.

What I see next makes me stop and stare with my unaided eyes. I see the ball of chakra burst and spin, grinding away at the mist genin for several seconds until the boy's body spins like he's in a blender and then flies backward, his scream fading while he flies into the forest, disappearing into the trees.

Naruto holds out his right hand, his chest moving up and down, and I can see he's physically exhausted, his chakra supply still relatively full…

Shino stands with his hands in his pockets, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. I scan the area for more attackers, and I see that we're alone for at least 100 meters…

"We should get moving, unless you are unable to continue, Naruto?" Shino asks the boy.

I see Naruto shake his head.

"I'm fine, let's get moving…" He says, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket.

_Let's get this damn test over with…_

I take a quick look at Naruto before I take into the trees, making sure the boy is capable of continuing, and not seeing anything wrong with him, I just take off into the trees. The two of them follow me into the trees, and we head toward the tower.

Shino's plan replays in my mind, going over each step over and over again in my mind, looking for a possible loophole that an opposing genin could use to get to us…

_Naruto will use his shadow clones and his increased physical ability to charge into the collectors, creating a pathway for the three of us. While the clones distract the collectors, we run past as fast as the three of us can together, heading straight for the tower. _

As much as I think about the plan, I can't think of anything to improve it, so I simply make the predetermined sign to signal Naruto, who in turn makes a familiar hand sign.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu…!" He yells out.

I see chakra leave his body and form into an army of 30 shadow clones, and each of the clones' charges forward with a yell, the three of us going to ground, charging for the tower with all available speed.

_We have to make it…_

Through my Byakugan, I see Naruto is behind me, Shino pulling up the rear. Overhead I see Shadow clones engaged in combat, the three of us running by as quickly as we can. I see the door, heading for it with all my available speed. With the army of shadow clones running a screen, we manage to get inside the tower, and I slam the door closed, sealing off the entrance to any genin that might try and follow us in and break the rules to get a scroll…

"We made it…" I mutter, leaning against the door, my Byakugan fading from my eyes…

I breathe lightly, barely winded from the exercise of sprinting into the tower. Standing there, I glance around and see a billboard attached to the far wall. I glance to Naruto, seeing the boy looking more winded then either Shino or I. While I'm looking at him, Naruto looks around, and then looks to Shino, and then me.

"Well, what do we do now?" Naruto asks.

"The ultimate goal of this exam was to get to this tower with 2 scrolls in our possession." Shino points out. "Beyond that, no instructions were given."

I think about the scrolls, and what the proctor, Anko told the students before we began the test.

"The rules say that if we open the scrolls before we arrive at the tower, we're disqualified, but they don't say what will happen if we open them after we arrive at the tower." I point out.

"Then, we should open the heaven and earth scrolls at the same time and see what they say?" Naruto asks.

I see Shino nod, and I mimic my teammate's action. Shino removes the earth scroll from his pack, and I remove the heaven scroll from my bag. Both Shino and I open the scrolls at the exact same time, a moment later a large cloud of smoke bursts from the scrolls…

The cloud of smoke disappears, with Kurenai-sensei standing on the floor in front of us.

"Kurenai-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asks.

I see my teacher smiling, a happy air hovering around her.

"I'm here because when you opened those scrolls, it activated a summoning technique that brought me here." She explains. "The point of the exam is to test both your physical abilities and your morals as well." She continues. "Had you opened the scrolls before you arrived, you would've instantly failed and been disqualified. Sometimes ninja must carry information or items in a sealed container and not open or look at the parcel. That part of the exam is made to test your ability to do that, since the three of you completed the exam without looking at the scrolls, you passed."

"I would like to inquire as to the purpose of having our sensei summoned here to explain this to us?" Shino asks.

"I'm here to make sure you understand, and answer any questions the three of you have about this second phase." She responds. "The three genin from the sand village beat an old speed record but you three can close to beating that too, so you should still be very proud."

"Um, Kurenai-sensei, I don't think that the red haired boy on the sand squad isn't right." I tell my teacher.

I see her look toward me with a curious expression on her face.

"What do you mean, he isn't right, Hinata?" Kurenai asks.

I nod.

"I believe he's psychotic Kurenai-sensei, he intentionally killed three rain genin during the exam, and did it alone without any help from his two teammates." I explain to my teacher. "I also think he's a Jinchuriki, his chakra network looks like mine does when I look closely at him with my Byakugan."

"You really believe this, Hinata?" Kurenai asks, and I nod.

"Yes, I believe he has a demon sealed inside of him, Kurenai-sensei."

"I see…" My teacher mutters, absorbing the information. "I'll have to report this to the Hokage immediately…"

"Um, sensei…" Naruto begins. "What should we do now?"

She looks at him, and then I see her smile.

"You three still have 2 days before this exam ends." She explains to us. "There are rooms in this tower that you can sleep in as well as bathe. I'll show you three to some rooms you can use, but you should be careful. Those three genin from the sand village will be staying on the same floor as you will be, and I can't do anything about that." She continues. "What I can do is have the three of you room next to each other, so if one of you should get in trouble, you'll be close to your teammates."

"Thank you, sensei…" I speak up, and I see my teacher nod.

"The three of you are forbidden from doing any training during the next 2 days. You three are to do nothing more then rest up and be ready, it's quite possible they'll have a preliminary tournament before the third stage begins." She informs us all.

"A preliminary tournament…?" I ask.

Kurenai-sensei nods once.

"The rules say they can hold a preliminary tournament at any time during the exams." Kurenai explains. "If too many genin pass this portion of the exam, then they'll have a preliminary to thin the number of genin to an acceptable number."

"So, it's possible that we'll have to fight each other?" Naruto asks.

Kurenai nods.

"It's possible, though I personally hope that only a small number of genin finish this exam, that way there's no possibility of a preliminary."

"I concur, Kurenai-sensei." Shino says.

With that, Kurenai-sensei motions for us to follow her, and I do so. Naruto and Shino walk next to me while Kurenai leads us through the tower and up several floors of stairs to a floor filled with doors. She leads the three of us to three rooms, motioning to one of the three doors.

"You three can stay in these rooms, I trust you three will be all right with this?"

I nod, with Naruto and Shino giving their affirmatives. I take a room, Naruto and Shino taking their own rooms. I go inside the simple room, seeing a small bathroom attached to the room. The room is furnished with only a small bed, and nothing else. Other then the bathroom, the room has nothing in it other then the bed…

_At least it's a shower, and I can get clean again…_

Leaving my backpack on the bed, I go into the bathroom, shucking my clothes. (I'm not using any imagery here; I don't want to describe what a 12 year old girl looks like naked...) I take a long, hot shower, letting the water soak into my body…

&

I spend nearly an hour in the shower and just relaxing, scrubbing myself over 3 times to try and remove the dirt and the grime from my body. I don't bother going to eat anything; instead I lie on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. For a long time, I stare up at the ceiling, my mind stuck on what I saw in the forest, the struggle Squad 7 was going through…

_They were fighting some strange person from the Hidden Grass village. Whoever that person was, he wasn't a normal genin. Whoever he was, he was hardly a genin, he must've snuck into the exams, but I can't begin to fathom why…_

_And then there's why he attacked squad 7. I saw them in danger, and I stood there and watched while they fought against an opponent they had no business fighting. If I had said something to Naruto and Shino, we would've gone to help them. But, I didn't say anything; I stood there and watched them fight a losing battle against some freakish monster, and then walked away…_

_I know I don't have anything to feel bad about. Squad 7 just had a run of bad luck, running into that grass genin. Even though I know that, I still feel like I've done something wrong by not telling Naruto and Shino…_

For some reason I get up, having dressed in my pajamas, I leave the room and walk to the room next to mine, the one Naruto's in. I knock on the door lightly.

"Naruto, are you awake?" I barely whisper toward the door.

Rather then see the door in front of me open, I hear a door open on creaky hinges from behind me. I spin around, assuming a gentle fist stance out of reflex, sensing the bloodlust coming from behind me…

I see the door across the hall, not 10 feet away cracked open, with the red haired genin named Gaara standing in the doorway, only the right half of his face visible in the doorway…

_Oh no, not him…_

Seeing him, I remember what he did to the students in the forest…

I feel myself tremble, staring down the red haired boy. I activate my Byakugan without signs, wanting to be ready in case the boy tries anything…

_If he so cavalierly killed people during the exam, what's he going to do to someone who interrupted his sleep?_

Looking at him, I see his face set in an emotionless mask, though deep in his eyes I can sense his bloodlust, a pure unadulterated desire to kill…

That desire to kill sends shivers down my spine, and I unconsciously draw on the Kyuubi's chakra, not knowing what this freak might do…

I assume a gentle fist stance, ready to defend myself. In the dark hall, I can see the red light coming from my body, indicating the chakra of the demon fox is visible. I stand there a moment, seeing Gaara's green eyes go wide a moment, and then a thin, barely visible smile appears on his lips. I hear a door open on creaky hinges. Through my Byakugan, I see Naruto open his door and stand there. I see his eyes go from me; glowing red with demon chakra to Gaara, and from my description of the sand genin, Naruto recognizes the boy.

"What's going on here?" Naruto asks, breaking the silence.

I see Gaara's door close a moment later without a word leaving the sand genin's lips. With my Byakugan, I can see through the door to see the sand genin walk back to his bed and sit on it, crossing his legs. I see him sit there, motionless, and I watch him for a long moment. Then, I breathe a sigh of relief and lower my arms, turning off the kekkei genkai. I force myself to calm down, feeling Naruto's eyes on my back, still glowing red with the presence of demon chakra in my body…

It takes me a moment to regain my composure, but once I do so, I see the red light in the hallway disappear. I turn to face my teammate, and I see him standing there with a curious expression on his face.

"That was that Gaara guy, right?" Naruto asks.

I nod.

"Yes, that was him…" I affirm.

I see Naruto shake his head.

"I haven't seen you glow like that since that peacekeeping mission…" He mutters, and I nod, remembering all too clearly the first time I drew upon the red chakra.

"I didn't want him to hurt me or you, Naruto…" I explain to him. "I had to be ready…"

He waves his hand dismissively.

"So, what're you knocking on my door at this late hour for?" He asks.

"I wanted to talk to you; do you think I can come into your room?" I ask, and I see him nod.

"Yeah, sure…" He responds.

He steps aside, allowing me to enter while I walk into the room. I take 4 steps into the room and then half turn, seeing him look out into the hall a moment, and then close the door.

_He's worried about sleeping across the hall from that Gaara. Well, who wouldn't be concerned about sleeping 10 feet away from a psychotic murderer?_

"Um, Naruto, what do you think of squad 7?" I ask, trying to bring the subject up.

"Sasuke's squad…?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yes, what do you think of them?" I ask again.

"Well…" He mutters. "I mean, I think Sasuke is about the most stuck up arrogant person I've ever met. Kiba's kind of cool, but he shows off too much with that dog and the whole 'man's best friend' thing kinda creeps me out. Sakura is basically Sasuke's groupie, and from what I've heard of their mission in the land of waves, she just stood around useless while Sasuke and Kiba nearly got killed." He finishes.

I swallow the saliva in my mouth, knowing that this is my point of no return, and if I say what I'm going to say, there won't be any going back…

_I can't keep this from him, I should tell him, even if it doesn't do any good, he should know…_

"What would you think if they were dead?" I ask, trying to keep my voice calm, and barely managing to do so.

I see his eyes go wide in questioning.

"What are you talking about, Hinata?"

"In the forest, I saw squad 7 fighting against a genin from the hidden grass village." I begin. "The only thing is he wasn't a normal genin. He was able to make all three of them freeze in fear by just looking at them, and he fought off Sasuke like the Uchiha was nothing but an annoying fly." I continue. "I didn't say anything to either you or Shino because I didn't want you to think we had to try and help them. Whoever they were fighting, he had no business being in the Chunin exams, and I didn't want us to have to risk our lives for 3 people that I'm sure wouldn't do the same for us if the situation were reversed…" I finish.

I stand there silent after that, waiting for Naruto to explode, to yell at me at how heartless I am for keeping this information from him. I expect to hear him scream at me how he thought he could trust me; how he thought we were friends, when I was only looking out for the interests of our entire team…

Finally, after several heartbeats, Naruto speaks.

"What exactly did the grass genin do?" Naruto asks.

"He fought Sasuke like Sasuke was a pitiful weakling, and took Kiba and Akamaru's combination attack like it was a love tap." I explain. "He gave off enough blood lust that all three of them, and Akamaru all froze in fear."

"Whoa…" I hear Naruto mutter, taking in the information I present to him.

I see him look down to the floor, and then his eyes meet mine, thoughtfulness filling the beautiful blue orbs…

"Would you recognize that guy again if you saw him?" He asks, and I nod.

"Absolutely…" I confirm for him.

"I don't hold your decision against you, Hinata…" Naruto finally says, and I feel relief hit me like tidal wave jutsu. "Sasuke and Kiba are both tough guys, and are more then capable of holding their own in a fight. If all three of squad 7 is killed by that one guy alone, then he's obviously not a normal genin, and we'd only be risking our own lives trying to help them. You should report this information to Kurenai-sensei, or even dad." Naruto points out. "Why didn't you tell her earlier?" He asks.

My shoulders drop, and I look down toward the floor.

"I didn't want you and Shino to think I was heartless or cruel…" I respond weakly, knowing that it isn't any excuse…

"Let's go then…" He says, walking to the door. "We need to tell Kurenai-sensei or someone who can do something…"

I nod, seeing Naruto open the door. I follow him out into the hallway, my cold bare feet the last thing on my mind…

&

Apparently, Minato Namikaze does not like to be woken up at 3:30 in the morning, but when the Chunin guard outside the room the Hokage sleeps in inside the tower went inside and told the ninja leader his son had 'an urgent matter' to discuss with him, the ninja leader calmed down. The Chunin emerges a moment later, motioning for both Naruto and I to enter the room. I follow the blonde boy into his father's temporary domicile, seeing the room is dark, though moonlight from the window allows for some vision. I see Minato sitting on the edge of his bed, his wife oddly not next to him. The ninja leader wears his normal bedclothes; a pair of boxers and a white undershirt. Though, the expression on his face shows his displeasure. His eyes show just how tired he is, like the man hasn't slept well in days…

"This better be important Naruto, you know I don't get a lot of time to rest…" He says; his voice mostly just tired.

I see Naruto look to me, and then back to his father.

"Hinata thinks she saw someone who doesn't belong in the Chunin exams." Naruto says plainly, and I see Minato's eyes lose whatever grogginess was in them.

"Explain…" The man says, not asking.

I take a deep breath, and then I explain to the ninja leader everything I saw. I explain the man's appearance, the strange tattoos on his right arm, the long tongue in his throat, everything. I see Minato's eyes go wide when I finish my description of the incident I was witness to in the forest of death…

"You're sure that's what you saw?" He asks, looking at me with deadly seriousness in his eyes.

I nod once.

"Yes, Hokage-sama…" I respond.

I feel a grim air form around the Fourth Hokage.

"Looks like I won't be sleeping tonight after all…" He mutters, standing up.

He touched the wall, creating a barely audible 'click' a moment before the overhead light comes on, flooding the room with light. I see him grab the white robe of the Hokage from a nearby chair, draping it over his shoulders.

"You two should return to your rooms and get some sleep, thank you for reporting this information to me." He says, walking past us and toward the door.

"What're you gonna do dad?" Naruto asks, his father stopping at the doorway.

"I'm going to do everything I can, Naruto, everything I can…" He mutters, and then leaves the room, leaving Naruto and I alone.

I look to my teammate, and I see him sigh.

"Well, he's still the Hokage, and he told us to go back to our rooms and get some rest." Naruto points out.

I nod.

"We've done all we can, it's in Minato-sama's hands now." I respond.

"I just hope Squad 7 wasn't killed, even if Sasuke is the biggest ass this side of Konoha, I'd hate to see him killed by some freak…"

"We should go back to our rooms…" I point out. "We can't do anything more then we've already done, and our staying up won't accomplish anything."

Naruto nods once, and then sighs again.

"You're right…" He mutters, and then starts off toward his room.

I follow the boy back to his room, saying good night before he closes his door. I look at the room where Gaara sleeps for a long moment, and then I go into my own room, locking the door, and resisting the urge to push the bed against the door…

&

Two days later, the end of the exams comes, and I see various other shinobi have passed the second stage of the exams. Among them I see the three genin from the Sound Village, Squad 10, The Sand Genin, a team of Genin with Kabuto at the front, Squad 7, and then finally I see Team Gai…

_Neji-nii-san made it through the exam; I guess it's no wonder…_

I look around the room, seeing the 4th Hokage as well as Anko Mitarashi and a third Jounin with a sword slung over his back. Other then them, I see Kurenai-sensei, Might Gai, and the other Jounin that act as sensei for the teams standing in a line, and I see a smile on Kurenai-sensei's face…

_She must be proud of us, finishing the exam so quickly…_

The room the surviving teams have been gathered into is a large arena. In the rear of the arena is a large statue of two hands forming a generic hand sign. Above the statue is a blank green screen, which I can only assume is meant to display competitors in matches, or some other message…

I glance to squad 7, and I see that all of them are cut and scuffed up, though Sasuke looks to be the worst for the wear. I see him favoring his left shoulder, as though something were wrong with it. Sakura has a concerned look on her face, though Kiba stands in front of Sasuke, looking ahead with an uncaring smirk on his face…

_What could've happened? I guess with them fighting against that Grass freak, anything could happen…_

I look to see the dark haired boy of the three sound genin with both of his arms in slings.

_Both of his arms were broken? What happened to him? Why don't either of his teammates have any injuries?_

Before I can think further on the subject, the 4th Hokage speaks.

"All of you should be congratulated…" He begins. "All of you have successfully completed the second stage of the exam, though there is rather a large amount of genin who managed to complete this stage." He continues. "However, due to the rather large number of Genin who have completed the second stage of the exam, we'll have to have a preliminary tournament to lessen the number of genin moving on to the third stage of the exam." He finishes.

_Just like Kurenai-sensei said. I guess they can't have so many genin move on, so we'll have to fight each other and only the winners will advance. I hope I don't have to fight Naruto or Shino, if I eliminated them and prevented them from passing, I'd never forget it…_

"The rules for this preliminary tournament are relatively simple…" Minato begins. "There are no rules, though should one fighter give up, be clearly beaten, or die, the match will be called, and a winner decided."

"What?" I hear Ino yell. "We just passed the hardest test of our lives, and you're gonna make us fight this soon?"

I see the Fourth's eyes shift to her, though he says nothing. Instead, the Jounin with the sword on his back speaks.

"These preliminary rounds are necessary; there simply isn't enough room for all of you in the final stage of the exam." He begins. "That said; if any of you feel you shouldn't be participating in this preliminary tournament, you should quit now. Konoha will not be held responsible if you die."

I see Kabuto raise his hand.

"If that's the case, then I quit…" Kabuto Yakushi says with a smile.

"What, you're quitting now?" Kiba asks, and I see Kabuto shrug.

"I'm just not up for a preliminary tournament, sorry…"

"If that's the case, then please leave." The Jounin says. "Anyone else who doesn't wish to participate should leave as well."

Other then Kabuto turning and walking away, his foot falls light against the arena floor, no others respond to the Jounin's statement. There's a long moment of silence after Kabuto leaves the arena, and I see the man cough, his cough a heavy, nasty phlegm filled cough.

_Talk about not being in top physical condition. His cough sounds like he's got cancer or some really bad disease…_

"My name is Hayate Gekko, and I'll be the one refereeing these preliminary matches." He introduces himself. "Now, if the remaining genin will leave the arena and stand in the waiting area, we can begin the matches…"

With that, the assembled Genin and their teachers leave the arena floor and head to the observer's area. Naruto, Shino and I all stand near Kurenai-sensei, but Might Gai as well as Lee and Ten-Ten along with Team 10 and their teacher all stand near us as well. I notice that Neji stands on the opposite side of his teacher as I do, his eyes set firmly ahead of him on the arena floor.

Hayate clears his throat.

"These matches will be decided at random, and will be a 1 on 1 match; there will be no rules and no restrictions, although jutsus that will destroy this tower or the arena should be avoided. While killing your opponent is not against the rules, it should be avoided. These are rank exams, and not worth killing others over."

With that, Hayate turns toward the screen, and I see the screen light up. I see names flash at break neck speed on the screen. There is a large 'VS' in the middle while the names randomly run by. When the names come to a stop, my eyes go wide.

The screen reads: Shikamaru Nara VS Choji Akimichi…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Preliminary Hell

(Well, here's chapter 11, and I'm currently writing chapter 12 now. The Omake wasn't edited, so you'll have to deal with it being rough. I made it explain some things, and hopefully it will answer those questions. Thank you for the reviews you've sent me so far, I enjoy reading them and the praise you all usually give me. There are going to be events in this storyline that are not in the Canon story, though nothing that doesn't make sense, at least to me. Anyway, enjoy the extra and tell me what you think of the Omake and the chapter itself. Thanks in advance…)

Omake: Weaving a Web…

My name is Minato Namikaze, 4th Hokage of the Hidden Village of Konoha, and I've become used to dealing with unexpected events…

_But the rogue Sannin returning to the village, and interfering with the Chunin exams?_

While I walk down the hall, clad in only my bed clothes and white robe of the Hokage, my thoughts churn over the information just given to me by my son and the Hyuga heir, Hinata…

_Judging from what she said, and the details, there isn't anyone else that 'grass ninja' could be other then Orochimaru. But why would he attack Squad 7, what purpose would he have in fighting three genin taking the Chunin exams for the first time?_

Walking down the hall toward the nerve center of the tower, the room that is constantly staffed by Chunin and Jounin keeping watch over the second phase of the Chunin exams, I think about what I know about Orochimaru, and what his goals might be…

_He was a student to my predecessor, the Third Hokage along with Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade. He was always interested in forbidden techniques and the power they hold. He was also the top rated student of his generation, with Jiraiya-sensei being the lowest graded student. The Third always thought he was a little strange, and told me on several occasions after Orochimaru's defection that the Third had hoped Orochimaru's quirks would work out in time…_

_Well, his quirks didn't work out and now he's a major threat to this village and the people in it. I don't have any choice; I have to stop these exams. Whatever he wants, having these exams going on will only make it easier for him to get it…_

Walking toward the nerve center, I turn the corner in the hall and look toward the double doors when I one of the doors open. An ANBU in a wolf mask emerges from the doorway, spotting me and immediately going into a quick jog. He cuts the distance between us in a second, falling into step behind me.

"Hokage-sama, there's been an incident…" He reports, and I let out a sigh.

_Oh, what now…?_

"What incident?" I ask, walking toward the door.

"Orochimaru has been spotted within the confines of the Leaf village." The ANBU reports to me.

I stop mid step, with 3 strides until I reach the door.

"What? How do you know?" I demand.

"Anko Mitarashi was out in the forest, overseeing the exam when he appeared before her. The two of them had a quick interchange, and it ended when her assailant activated the dormant curse mark on her neck."

_The curse mark, I've read the reports on it. It was branded on her when she was much younger, some sort of experiment by that freak before he bugged out of the village. Ever since he left, the seal has been dormant, since Anko never bothered to activate it, never desiring its power. We've had experts in sealing techniques examine it several times, and none of them have even a decent theory as to how he created it, or how to remove it from her…_

"My squad and I found her nearly attacked by wild animals, and we rescued her and brought her here." The ANBU continues. "Anko says she needs to speak with you immediately."

I nod, feeling another sigh escape my lips.

_Can this night get any worse?_

Walking through the door to the nerve center, any pride I may've felt at my son passing the second stage of the Chunin exam before the end of the first day is shattered. Taking in the scene before me, seeing the Tokubetsu Jounin grasping her neck, breathing as though she's run one of Maito Gai's 200 lap runs around Konoha completely removes any pride or happiness I feel at my son's stellar work…

"Hokage-sama…" Anko breathes, her gray eyes showing her exhaustion.

"Anko, report…" I demand and no one caring that I'm only wearing boxers and an undershirt, the Hokage's robe a clear reminder of my position…

"I encountered that bastard Orochimaru…" She speaks to me. "I tried to kill him, but he treated me like a little child, and he tried to influence this damn thing on my neck…" She mutters.

I nod once, my decision already made.

"I'm stopping these Chunin exams…" I say aloud. "Effective immediately, the exam is over, any and all results submitted so far are null and void..." I explain.

"Hokage-sama…!" Anko protests my declaration. "He said that no matter what, the Chunin exams shouldn't be stopped, he said that if we were to stop the exams, then things would get much worse…"

"To hell with him…" I say simply. "Whatever he wants, if he wants the exams to continue, then I'm going to stop them…" I respond, only to hear the door open on nearly silent hinges.

A familiar scent of pipe tobacco wafts into the room, recalling images in my mind of one person in particular…

_This smell…_

I turn around and see Sarutobi Asuma, the man called 'Professor' by the people of Konoha for his mastery of various ninjutsu, stands in the doorway with his red pipe at his lips. The retired Hokage stands wearing the robes of an advisor to the Hokage, having fallen into the role after his retirement from the leadership of the village…

"Sarutobi-sama…" I begin, only to see the old man wear a solemn expression.

"4th Hokage-san…" He begins, stepping silently into the room. "I do believe it would be wise to think on your decision for a moment, rather then jump to conclusions…" The old man advises me. "As Orochimaru's former teacher, I must advise that garnering his wrath would be a foolish mistake not long lived." He explains. "Orochimaru desires the Chunin exams to continue, and to stop them now would draw the ire of the other nations participating in this stage. While Konoha is strong, and I have faith in both you and my village, I cannot advise an action that could bring the combined might of another nation within the alliance treaty and Orochimaru upon us at the same time. If such a scenario were to unfold, Konoha would suffer incredible, if not fatal damage."

"But, Sarutobi-sama, if we allow Orochimaru to get whatever it is he's after…"

"We have no knowledge that pertains to my former student's goals…" He begins, and I can hear the pang in the words 'former student's.' "We should not act rashly, allow the exams to continue, and use whatever resources you have at your disposal to seek out what Orochimaru may be seeking, and do everything in your power to keep him from achieving his goals, but allow the Chunin exams to continue. Many nobles as well as other villages focus on these exams, so canceling them would be a most foolish move."

I breathe a sigh, closing my eyes and shaking my head.

"I don't want to risk anyone's life needlessly, Sarutobi-sama…" I speak in protest. "Too many innocents are involved in these Chunin exams…"

The Third smirks, looking at me with his cool dark eyes.

"Tell me Minato, do you fear for the 9 rookie genin involved in this exam, or do you fear for your only son, Naruto?"

Were anyone else to insinuate such a thing, they'd find a kunai knife passing through the space next to their head before they even realize that I'm angry. However, this man is both my predecessor and my trusted advisor. I am not about to threaten him needlessly for seeing through me so easily…

"I am worried for my son Sarutobi, is that a crime?" I ask, and the man shakes his head.

"The Hokage is not only a father, but must take into account the lives of every person in this village, not only those close to him. If you do that, you will realize that stopping these Chunin exams will only put the majority of these people in danger, while not stopping the exams will only place shinobi in danger."

I take a breath, inhaling the cool air of the nerve center room…

"The Chunin exams will continue…" I finally decide. "I rescind my previous order."

The Chunin and Jounin in the nerve center go to work, and I see the Third Hokage take a puff of his pipe.

"It is decisions such as those that make me glad that I have retired…" Sarutobi says simply.

I breathe a long sigh.

_I'm sorry Naruto, I wish I could stop these exams, but I can only hope that Orochimaru's designs have nothing to do with you or Hinata…_

Chapter 11: Preliminary Hell

"Oh man, how troublesome…" I hear Shikamaru Nara mutter.

Choji groans to himself, and the two boys leave the surrounding balcony and head to the center of the arena. The two of them stand apart from each other, and it's obvious that they do not want to fight each other…

"Do either of you have any objections to this match?" Hayate asks right after having another coughing fit, making it sound like he has a lung disease…

Hayate begins the match, and at first Choji charges for Shikamaru. Choji throws punches and kicks, trying to hit his opponent, though it's obvious to everyone present that the large boy is holding back, not trying to hurt his teammate. His movements are slow, even for the large boy. Shikamaru, with his small frame, easily shifts and sidesteps Choji's blows.

"What's wrong Choji, are you too fat to move any faster?" He asks.

I hear Ino gasp a moment before Choji's fist flies toward Shikamaru's head. The Nara barely leans to the side; Choji's fist looking like it could take his head off. Shikamaru slips away from Choji before he flipping backwardflips backward agilely and createsing a 6 foot distance from his teammate.

"I AM NOT FAT, I'M BIG BONED!" Choji screams out, flames appearing in his eyes.

The Akimichi boy makes a hand sign.

"Expansion Jutsu…!" Choji yells out.

A cloud of smoke appears around the boy, and I see the smoke disappear. What's replaced the Akimichi is a large boulder like ball that appears to be made of Choji's clothing. The boy yells out angrily, starting to spin as he babbles nonsense, heading toward his teammate. Choji charges and Shikamaru uses his feet to slide by the Akimichi and to stay out of the boy's way. Shikamaru moves behind Choji, with the Akimichi turning around in a wide arc. He rolls toward the Nara boy, and I see Shikamaru put his hands together, forming an odd hand sign, but Choji is on top of him in a moment, before the boy can use his technique. The Nara boy leaps to the side, evading the rolling meatball tank and tucking into a roll. The Nara comes up on one knee, looking over his left shoulder toward his opponent. The meatball tank rolls around, heading toward Shikamaru once again. Shikamaru throws three kunai toward the meatball tank, seeing the knives bounce harmlessly away from the spinning ball that was once his teammate. He takes off at a full run to his left, pumping his arms for speed as he traverses the arena. I see the boy come to a skidding stop, and then I see him make the same hand sign he did before, the shadow below him beginning to flicker, as though he's going to do something with it.

At that moment, the large boulder disappears in a puff of smoke, and before the smoke clears, a kunai flies from the cloud, heading straight toward Shikamaru's feet. The Nara jumps to avoid having his foot impaled. The Nara lands farther away from Choji then before. The smoke clears, with Choji kneeling on the ground, his arm extended, looking as though he just threw something. The Akimichi smirks, looking extremely smug.

"I've seen your technique before Shikamaru, and I'm not going to let you pull it off." Choji warns. "I'm going to fight you with everything I've got Shikamaru, and I won't lose to a lackadaisical person like you!" He declares; pointing a semi taped finger at Shikamaru.

I notice the Nara boy's lips actually curl into a thin line.

"That's what I've wanted this entire time, Choji." Shikamaru retorts.

Choji makes his hand sign again and turns into the giant boulder again. He spins in place like a wound spring, and then takes off toward Shikamaru with much greater speed then before. Shikamaru attempts his technique again, but Choji is in front of him before he can commence it. The Nara is forced to dodge, jumping to the side and going into a roll. He comes up on his right knee, and takes off at a run, wanting to put more space between him and his opponent. I see him make his hand sign, but Choji continues to roll with his increased speed.

_What's that on the ground?_

I see a glint in front of Shikamaru on the floor while Choji rolls toward him. I see the Nara slip right, rolling 4 times before he comes up to a single knee. The rolling boulder disappears after rolling over the spikes lying in front of him, and I recognize the anti-personal spikes used by shinobi to discourage ground-based pursuit. I see the large boulder disappear, and when the smoke clears a moment later, Choji stands there with the spikes barely sticking into his skin…

_His technique must harden his skin. The spikes hit, and they did a minor amount of damage, but they didn't penetrate deeply. _

"Shadow Possession Jutsu...!" I hear Shikamaru yell.

A black streak slides across the arena floor. The black streak heads toward Choji's shadow, and once the two shadows meet, I see Choji's stance immediately change. His face shows an expression of abrupt realization, and I glance to Shikamaru to see him holding his right pointer finger in his left hand.

"Success…" I hear him mutter.

"Damnit…" I hear Choji mutter.

Both Choji and Shikamaru stand in a nearly identical stance. Shikamaru's technique forcing his opponent to mimic his actions exactly…

"Would you like to forfeit?" Shikamaru asks.

"Hell no…" Choji responds, only able to move his mouth under Shikamaru's influence.

Shikamaru shrugs, with Choji mimicking the action perfectly. Shikamaru turns around, walking away from where he stands, and Choji mimics the action. Shikamaru walks toward an empty area, while Choji approaches a wall. Shikamaru stops and turns around, Choji acting as a mirror copy.

"You got so interested in trying to squish me that you didn't pay attention to where you are in the arena, and that's going to be your downfall." Shikamaru points out. "I'll ask you again, will you forfeit? I don't want to hurt you Choji."

Choji shakes his head.

"You know I won't give up this match, Shikamaru…" Choji repeats his answer from earlier, and Shikamaru sighs.

"It's troublesome, but it can't be helped…"

The boy leans back, his head entering the empty air behind him, and I suddenly realize Shikamaru's plan. I hear a loud CRACK of Choji's head against the stone wall. The Akimichi stands there, his body freezing when his head strikes the wall. Shikamaru's shadow pulls back, returning to the Nara boy without a sound, and Choji falls down, no longer held up by Shikamaru's jutsu.

"The winner, Shikamaru Nara…" Hayate declares.

"Call for medics, quickly…" Shikamaru states firmly.

The Jounin nods once, waving his hand toward a set of double doors. 2 medic ninja, dressed in the white uniform of the Medical Corp enter the arena holding a stretcher. The two of them run toward the now unconscious Akimichi boy, Shikamaru walking toward his teammate. Concern fills the Nara's stance while he watches the two medics hoist Choji onto the stretcher and then carry him off toward the double doors. I see the Nara's black eyes look for a long moment toward the door, and then he walks from the arena and back to the rest of his team and his teacher.

I can tell that the Nara boy doesn't like what he's done, sighing to himself.

"Choji should be all right, he's in the best hands." The tall Jounin, Asuma Sarutobi says to his student.

Shikamaru nods once, though I can tell from the air around him that he really doesn't like what he's done…

Asuma places his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder reassuringly, though I can tell that his teacher's gesture doesn't do much for his mood…

"Now we will have the second match…" Hayate declares.

The randomizer screen lights up. I notice that names roll by, flashing different names at random. Then randomizer stops, and I feel my eyes go wide at what the screen displays…

"Hinata Hyuga VS Dosu Kinuta…" I mutter.

I look around the viewing area, looking for my opponent, and I see one of the three sound genin moving. The one with only a single visible eye and wearing a fur cape in addition to the white and gray camouflage he wears. He reaches out with his left arm, hopping over the railing and landing on the ground. It's then that I notice the Jounin dressed in all black standing behind the three sound genin, recognizing the man instantly…

_That's…_

His face is burned into my mind, the true face of the genin from the grass village that single handedly assaulted and fended off Squad 7, stands behind the three sound genin.

_What is he doing here? If he's here to watch these matches, then why attack squad 7 during the second exam proper? What could he be planning, just standing there and watching, that grin spread on his face?_

I glance toward my teacher; her expression is unchanging and doesn't appear as though she knows that the freaky snake man is in attendance. I glance from my teacher to squad 7, seeing the three of them apparently either uncaring or they haven't bothered to notice their attacker standing not 100 feet away.

_The three of them fought this guy up at close range; they should be able to recognize him, so why don't they speak up? He attacked them during the exam, and he even snuck in, posing as a genin…_

"Hinata Hyuga, do you intend on forfeiting this match?" I hear Hayate's voice from the arena floor.

In my confusion and astonishment at finding the snake ninja, I never bothered to move from where I was standing. I notice Naruto looking at me, a concerned expression on his face.

"Hinata, is something the matter?" He asks, reaching out and touching my shoulder, and I force myself not to blush.

"No, I'm fine…" I begin, speaking softly. Turning toward the proctor, I speak up. "I'm not forfeiting this match!" I declare.

"Then you will move to the arena floor, or be disqualified." Hayate responds, though Dosu remains silent.

I hop the rail, falling like a brick to the floor. I land in a crouch, and I stand up, walking toward both Hayate and Dosu. Hayate has a short coughing fit while I approach, and I see Dosu's eye looking at me and scrutinizing me. Once I'm within 6 feet of him, the sound genin opens his mouth.

"You're a Hyuga, are you not?" He asks, and I nod.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga, heir to the main branch of the Hyuga clan." I tell him, trying to put all the confidence I can into the statement.

"I see…" He mutters.

Hayate opens his mouth, but I cut him off.

"Before we begin, I have a question for you…" I begin, and I see the sound genin nod.

"Go ahead and ask, though I can't guarantee I'll answer you." He responds, a slightly sinister tone to his voice.

"Your sensei, who is he?" I ask. "He snuck into the second stage of the exam and battled the genin team of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka." I accuse the man standing on the viewing platform dressed in all black.

I quickly catch Dosu's one visible eyebrow rise, and then fall.

"Are you sure of that?" I hear Hayate ask, and I never bothered to notice him listening intently to our conversation.

I nod, risking a glance up to the black clad Jounin, and then looking back toward Dosu.

"That man up there snuck into the Chunin exams while posing as a genin." I explain. "He attempted to kill Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka and Sakura Haruno."

I see Hayate look up toward the other 2 sound genin and their teacher. I see recognition pass through his eyes, his mouth muttering the word 'that's…'

_He recognizes him now?_

The proctor turns back toward the two of us.

"The two of you have spoken long enough…" He says. "Begin this match, or you'll both be disqualified."

_WHAT?_

I stand there in shock, not knowing what to say, only to see Dosu lung forward, swinging his right arm toward me. I move on instinct, activating my Byakugan and ducking down. His punch goes over my head, and my right hand strikes his right bicep with a 2 finger strike to his chakra network. My attack disrupts the flow of chakra, though doesn't hit a tenketsu. I see the chakra he uses to direct his sound attack stop, and I roll forward, moving beside him and then behind him, coming out of the roll on my right foot with my left knee against the floor.

I see him look over his left shoulder at me with his one good eye.

"I don't want to draw this out, so I'll end this quickly so I can move on to the third round and fight Sasuke." He says, facing me, and I spin around, entering a Gentle Fist stance after the quick spin.

"You can try…" I mutter, holding stance.

He charges me, and I quickly grab three shuriken from my weapon pouch and throw them. I see him stop and pull his right sleeve up, using a metallic thing on his right arm to deflect the shuriken. In that moment, I spring forward, and he pulls his arm back, swinging a right cross toward my head. I shift to my left, leaning backward to allow his fist to pass in front of my face. My left arm comes up, a palm thrust to his right bicep, and this time my attack hits the tenketsu, striking it dead on and closing it with a hard blow. Immediately, the chakra imbuing his strike, channeling the sound waves disappears, the flow gone and his control over it completely disrupted with his chakra flow cut off…

"What?" I hear him mutter, his left eyebrow rising.

I spin around and move away from him, making sure to put distance between myself and the chakra wave, which Dosu extended. I watch the chakra dissipate into the air, assuming a gentle fist stance with 4 feet between Dosu and Ime. The sound genin turns around, surprisingly calm in spite of my strike to his tenketsu, removing a very dangerous weapon from his arsenal.

_If I give him enough time, he'll be able to reopen that tenketsu just by allowing a normal chakra flow to flow into it. However, if he's smart enough to actually force a large amount of chakra into the tenketsu, he can reopen the tenketsu…_

_I just can't let him do that…_

"What did you do?" He asks, looking at me with a curious expression in his eyes.

"You aren't aware of the Hyuga fighting style?" I ask. "You'll get nothing from me…" I explain to him.

He charges me, swinging his right arm in a right hook. I allow his fist to pass by my left ear, and I extend only my pointer and middle fingers, and then I drive both fingers into his bicep, and I feel my fingers penetrate the skin. I feel the warm red liquid inside the muscle, funneling my chakra into the blow in an extremely damaging Gentle Fist strike. Not only do I severely damage the tenketsu, but his muscle is no shape to be used in combat, not unless he's a fully trained medic…

My right foot finds his chest, the weight on my leg weights increasing the impact force of the kick. My kick knocks him backward, his feet sliding against the stone floor of the arena. Blood follows him while he slides against the stone floor, the red liquid dropping from his bicep every time he moves the muscle.

He stands there a moment, and I use the insight granted to me by my Byakugan to see that the single tenketsu I've struck is nearly no longer there, the chakra network in his arm nearly completely severed. I see him try to move his right arm, his right bicep not wanting to cooperate with his mental commands…

He looks down at his right bicep with his one eye, and then looks to me.

"You struck the tenketsu in my bicep, didn't you?" He asks, his left arm across his chest, touching the wound.

I nod.

"I've severely damaged the tenketsu in your right bicep, even if you were to force the entirety of your chakra into the tenketsu, you'll never restore the flow into your arm beyond that tenketsu." I tell him matter of factly. "I've seen your sound attack, and I can tell that you use chakra as some part of it. What I've just done has effectively removed your ability to use that sound attack, meaning you'll never be able to use it on me like you did on Kabuto."

_At least the silver haired genin was good for that much. He allowed me to see this strange genin's technique, and since I saw it once with my Byakugan, I was more then ready for it when he tried to use it on me…_

Dosu suddenly runs toward me, his expression is neutral, though I can tell that he's extremely displeased with the direction this match is heading. He throws a right cross, telling me he has some feeling left in his right arm, in spite of my attack. He doesn't even bother to try and use his sound attack. I sidestep to my left, grabbing his right arm with my left hand. My right hand goes out, slapping him in the stomach, using the Gentle Fist to disrupt the chakra flow, but I don't directly close any of the tenketsu. The chakra in my strike is barely visible, a red-blue shockwave emanating from the impact. I hear him groan, though his left knee comes up, aimed at my stomach. I push his right arm and body back, throwing him off balance. He uses his left arm to perform a one handed handstand, his right arm not moving and his left leg extending during the quick flip backward. The genin comes down on both feet, his right arm hanging at his right side, with his left arm out, his left hand balled into a fist.

"You cannot win this fight with only one good arm and your legs." I tell him. "My abilities exceed yours, the intelligent thing to do would be to forfeit this match now, while you're still able to walk." I explain to him.

He looks at me with a cold glare in his one good eye.

"You'll have to kill me before I give up…" He explains to me.

_Kill him…_

I have no time to think about what he says before he comes running for me. He throws a left jab aimed at my head, and I shift my head right at my neck, avoiding the punch. My hands lance out to his chest, and I land 6 two finger jabs into his chest, striking 6 tenketsu. I see his left bicep shift, and I barely duck under the sweeping strike meant to knock me off my feet. I spin around counter clockwise, extending my right foot, driving my foot into Dosu's chest, into his right ribs. With the added weight of my training weights, my kick has more impact that it would normally, and I feel ribs give under my kick. Through the Byakugan I see 3 of his ribs break under the strike. His right foot comes up, and I'm forced to jump backward, putting distance between Dosu and Ime. I come out of the flip on my feet, entering a Gentle Fist stance. I never lose sight of him during the flip, and I see the boy charge me, ready to continue this pointless match of taijutsu against the Hyuga Gentle Fist…

_I don't have any choice. I don't want to hurt him any further, but I'll have to knock him out in order to stop him. If he truly won't stop until he either can't move or is dead, I'll just have to insure the former happens…_

I wait, assuming the stance grandmother showed me, preparing to use one of the many Gentle Fist techniques. He gets close, his momentum building, and I see him pull his left arm back, ready to drive his fist into my face. I spin at that moment, releasing a burst of red blue chakra from my body and shaping it around me into a dome. I spin in place, yelling out 'rotation!' after I begin to use the technique. I maintain the dome, spinning Dosu around while he's caught in the rotation. I increase the speed of my spin. I hear Dosu yelling out, screaming as he's whipped around me like a child's toy trapped in the dome. I stop my spin, releasing Dosu from the dome and throwing him toward the wall. The boy flies like a thrown rock, hitting the wall back first. His entire body flattens on impact, his arms and legs snapping backward and hitting the wall. I see his head snap back and hit the wall, and I see his good eye close. I see his body slump downward, his arms and legs falling forward, his head soon following his limbs.

Around me, the arena floor is dug up; slightly lower then the rest of the arena, the effect of my rotation. I look to Hayate, seeing him look toward Dosu.

"Are you still conscious?" Hayate asks loudly, and I look up to the viewing area through my Byakugan to see Neji with a look of surprise in his eyes.

_I guess his father didn't tell him that I could use the Rotation. I wonder what other surprises that I'll have in store for him if…when I fight him…_

Hayate continues to watch Dosu, looking for signs of life. 5 seconds pass before Hayate speaks again. Dosu doesn't move during those 5 seconds, what I can only assume is a test to make sure the ninja isn't faking being beaten.

"And the winner of this match is, Hinata Hyuga!" He says, raising his right arm and pointing toward me.

I nod, the veins around my eyes receding as I deactivate my Byakugan.

"I need medical assistance!" Hayate yells toward the doors.

2 more medic ninja emerge holding a stretcher. The 2 medic ninja put the sound genin on the stretcher and then haul him away, through the double doors and I can only imagine into an area to be given emergency medical treatment.

"You may leave the arena." Hayate informs me. "You don't have to remain here, though you cannot leave this tower until the conclusion of these preliminary matches now." He informs me.

I nod and I walk toward the viewing balcony surrounding the room. I return to my teammates, walking slowly. I notice the sound Jounin eying me while I walk back toward my teammates and my sensei, his slit eyes following me from across the room, and I feel a shiver run down my spine. While I can't sense an ounce of bloodlust coming from him, having seen him look at squad 7 and then the three of them falling over and shaking, I don't even want to think about what kind of techniques the shinobi has up his sleeve…

Walking back toward my teammates, I walk past Neji, and I feel his eyes follow me, though he makes no comment toward me. I can feel the hatred in his glare while I walk past, though I ignore it. Walking back to my teammates, I see Naruto grin while Shino merely nods toward me.

"You kick ass Hinata…" Naruto mutters.

I notice Kurenai glares at him for a moment, and then the expression passes. A light poke in his left shoulder from our teacher reminds him of his vulgarity.

"Oh, sorry Hinata…" He mutters, and I shake my head.

"It's all right…" I respond, turning back toward the arena. "Thank you for the compliment…"

"Your level of skill is to be expected…" Shino comments, his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, with all that training you go through, it's no wonder you kicked the crap out of that weirdo…" Naruto says, putting his hands behind his head.

"You did well Hinata…" Kurenai comments, and before I can respond, the digital beeping of the randomizer coming to life pulls the combined attention of everyone gathered in the large chamber toward it.

The screen flickers names across the screen, until finally it comes to a stop. I know that I can't be picked again, but Naruto and Shino both don't have that luxury, and the red haired genin from the sand village hasn't fought yet either…

_Please Kami, don't let either Naruto or Shino fight him. I don't know what he is but I really don't want to see either Naruto or Shino take him on…_

The screen reads Temari VS Ten-Ten, and I allow a breath to leave my lungs that I didn't realize I was holding. I glance toward the kunoichi from Team Gai, seeing the bright girl already walking down toward the arena floor. I look around for her opponent, and I see the blond girl from the sand genin team with the large fan walking from where the rest of her team stands to the arena. I see both Temari and Ten-Ten approach each other, meeting Hayate in the middle of the arena.

The proctor glances at the two competitors, Ten-Ten first, and then the sand kunoichi.

"Do either of you have any objections to this match?" He asks, and both of them shake their heads no. "All right, begin!" He yells.

"Go Ten-Ten…!" A small version of Maito Gai yells, and I can only assume that boy is the infamous Rock Lee…

_He's cheering for her?_

Hayate jumps away from the two of them. Ten-Ten hops backward, the sand girl not even moving.

"You know, you can't win, right?" Temari asks arrogantly.

"We'll see about that…" Ten-Ten retorts, going to her pouch and throwing a single kunai toward Temari.

Out of nowhere, with a foot left before the knife strikes its target, the kunai flies away, clattering to the arena floor 10 feet from where Temari stands.

"What the...?" Ten-Ten asks aloud, her question chorused by nearly everyone else in the arena.

_She did something, I couldn't quite follow what it was, but she used that fan to do it. Before the knife was about to hit, she didn't have it open, but now it's partially open. Whatever she did, it involves that fan…_

"Could she have missed?" I hear Sakura Haruno ask, and Maito Gai speaks up.

"Impossible…" The odd Jounin often referred to as Konoha's Great Beast of Battle retorts. "Ten-Ten practices with her throwing weapons everyday, and never misses, whatever happened, that sand kunoichi did it."

_He couldn't see it either? I guess whatever she did was supposed to be covert…_

She stands with the fan 1/3 open, a single purple circle visible on the inside of the fan. The entire time, Lee cheers his teammate on, encouraging her to fight and to beat Temari into the ground.

"My fan has three moons…" Temari explains. "Once you see the third moon, this match will be over." She says matter of factly.

"Oh yeah…" Ten-Ten mutters.

The kunoichi goes to her weapon pouch, withdrawing 8 kunai, holding the knives between her fingers.

"Try this…!" Ten-Ten challenges.

She throws the 8 knives, each weapon aimed mercilessly at Temari. The sand kunoichi smiles a slim, arrogant smile.

"It's useless…" Temari mutters.

The 8 knives fly, until like the first kunai, they're all swatted away at the last moment, as though the air itself were protecting the sand kunoichi. Temari grimaces and I see Ten-Ten reach into the pouch at the small of her back. I see the girl withdraw 2 scrolls, and Maito Gai speaks up.

"She's going to use that, already?" I hear him mutter.

The girl places both scrolls on the ground next to her. Then, she looks toward Temari.

"Rising Twin Dragons…!" She yells out.

The scrolls explode in a puff of smoke. A strange dragon made of gray smoke leaves each cloud, going straight up and winding around like there's an invisible cylinder extending upward from the leaf kunoichi. I see the scrolls themselves have extended, with Ten-Ten having not moved. Then, the brown haired girl jumps upward, her hands darting outward to the scrolls, and I realize what she's doing…

_She must be using those scrolls as weapon storage; there isn't any other reason to deploy them like that. As she rises up the scrolls, she's grabbing weapons and preparing to use them against her opponent. It's a genius tactic, though with her inability to land a single thrown weapon against Temari, I don't know if simply multiplying the number of thrown weapons will do anything…_

I see Ten-Ten reach the top of the twin scrolls, and then a barrage of kunai, shuriken and other throwing weapons lance out toward Temari. I see the sand girl's expression doesn't change, though a cloud of bladed throwing weapons comes for her. I see her open her fan to another section, revealing another one of her 'moons.' The various bladed instruments of death come down upon her, threatening to encompass the sand ninja if she doesn't do something. Then, at the last moment, all of the throwing weapons are knocked away, Temari appearing as though she's barely even moved. The weapons clatter to the ground while Temari grins. Ten-Ten grimaces and I see wires extending from her to the weapons scattered around Temari.

"Try this…" I barely hear Ten-Ten mutter.

She pulls at the wires, causing the scattered weapons to rise up once again. She flicks her hands, sending the already thrown weapons back at her opponent for another try…

"It's useless…" Temari mutters.

Wind swirls around her, cutting the strings attached to the throwing weapons and sending the metal weapons flying. Ten-Ten lands on the ground with barely an audible thud, going to one knee from the impact of the high jump. Her thrown weapons clatter around the arena with their landing, Temari obviously happy that her opponent has been unable to land a single blow…

"My turn now…" The blonde girl begins.

I watch her open her fan, revealing the third 'moon.' She swings the fan with 10 feet between her and Ten-Ten, and I wonder just what the Sand Ninja has planned. Then, I see the gust of air moving forward, and I see it blow past Ten-Ten, forcing the leaf kunoichi to throw her arms up in surprise. The wind literally picks her up, pulling her into the air while a vortex appears around her.

"Ninja Art: Wind Scythe Jutsu…" Temari mutters, looking up at her opponent, suspended in mid air.

I see wind flash across Ten-Ten's body. The girl cringes as her opponent's technique goes to work, assaulting her form. 20 seconds later, the vortex disappears, and Temari stands underneath the falling Ten-Ten. The sand girl catches Ten-Ten on her now closed fan, looking at her opponent lying nearly impaled on the large fan.

"Is that all?" She asks, and then tosses the now unconscious Ten-Ten away.

The girl lands with a thud against the arena floor, every part of the word unconscious.

"The winner, Temari…" Hayate declares.

"Ten-Ten…!" Lee yells out, ready to leap over the railing when Gai's heavy hand lands on his right shoulder.

"Leave Ten-Ten to the medical corps, Lee…" He tells her.

"Gai-sensei…" Lee protests, but Gai shakes his head.

"You haven't fought yet; do you think Ten-Ten would want you to forfeit your match just so you could check on her while she's in the hospital?"

Lee shakes his head, the dark mop moving with him.

"Then remain here, Ten-Ten will be fine, her injuries aren't life threatening, I can tell from here…" Gai says, making a thump up and flashing an obscenely bright smile.

Lee nods once, though I can tell he doesn't like not checking on his friend after her match. Neji remains motionless, several feet farther down the observation balcony then Gai and Lee. The sand girl straps her large fan to her back, and without a word saunters away from the arena. I watch her leave the arena and return to her two teammates and teacher, while Hayate does a quick examination of Ten-Ten and her injuries. He calls for a medic, and another pair of medic ninja appears holding a stretcher. They gently load Ten-Ten onto the stretcher and then haul her out of the arena. Her weapons disappear in puffs of smoke, going back to their extra-dimensional storage. Hayate coughs for a few moments, sounding like he has lung cancer, and then clears his throat.

"The next match…" He begins, and the randomizer lights up.

Watching the names run by on the screen, I begin to feel worry for both Naruto and Shino. I glance toward Neji, my cousin maintaining an air of absolute and unshakeable calmness, and the ever present arrogance hovers around him.

_I don't want Naruto and Shino to fight him. If he were to fight them, he'd attack them furiously to try and get to me, to make an example of them, so I will surrender when the two of us eventually fight…_

The randomizer stops, and I see the two names displayed.

_Kiba Inuzuka VS Neji Hyuga…_

I breathe a sigh of relief while Neji calmly walks to the arena floor. Kiba follows him, though several steps behind. I can tell that Akamaru looks tired, resting inside of Kiba's jacket, and a sad air around the dog…

"I feel sorry for that idiot cousin of yours, Hinata…" Naruto pipes up, and I nearly jump through the ceiling.

I turn and look, Naruto standing with his hands behind his head, a grin on his face.

"What do you mean, Naruto…?" I ask, the grin never leaving his face.

"When Kiba's together with that dog of his, they work together really well, and they've got these combination moves they do that'll knock you on your…" He begins, and then looks thoughtful, and then his grin returns. "They'll knock you off your feet." He finally says.

I notice Kurenai smile; the boy having thoughtfully changed what he was going to say before he said it.

"I don't know…" I respond, looking back toward the two fighters.

"Do you possess some knowledge of his combat ability?" I hear Shino ask, and I shake my head.

"I've never seen him fight, and I've never sparred against him. Grandmother forbade me from having contact with members of the branch house without her, and she insisted that I spar against her rather then someone my own age, so she could teach me." I explain.

"I see…" I hear Shino nod.

Out of the corner of my eye, the boy nods once, pushing his sunglasses up to his nose.

"If his skills are half as developed as yours, it is safe to assume Kiba Inuzuka will have a challenge ahead of him."

"There's no way that emo-jerk is half as skilled as Hinata is!" Naruto argues. "He's from the branch house or whatever anyway, so he couldn't be as strong as you, right Hinata?"

I shake my head.

"I just don't know…" I respond, staring down at my cousin, now standing in a gentle fist stance with his Byakugan activated.

_Just how powerful are you, Neji-nii-san?_

Kiba smirks, taking the dog from his head and placing the puppy down next to him.

"Do either of you two have any objections to this match?" Hayate asks, and both fighters shake their heads no. "All right, you're free to begin…" He says, and then jumps away, not wanting to get caught up in the melee.

"Before we begin…" Neji begins. "I believe I should inform you that it is impossible for you to win against me."

Kiba looks at the boy with an expression that can't be misinterpreted.

"What're you talking about?" The Inuzuka asks. "Me and Akamaru are gonna kick your head in, right boy?" Kiba asks, the dog yipping twice to show his agreement.

Neji doesn't even blink.

"It is your destiny to lose this match, no matter how hard you struggle against it; you cannot defy your destiny. I will win, and you will lose, there is no avoiding it. You lost this match the moment I was selected to be your opponent."

"Go cram it!" Kiba tells him, making hand signs.

I see him get down on his hands, looking like an animal. I see his nails extend, his arms becoming more muscular.

"Beast mimicry…" I hear Kurenai-sensei mutter, and I turn to face her.

"What's he doing?" I ask.

"It's a clan technique…" She begins. "The Inuzuka are a clan within Konoha that specialize in the use of ninja dogs." She explains to us. "Over the years, they've developed ninjutsu that allow them to mimic animal movements, and gain animalistic strength." She continues. "What he's doing now is called beast mimicry, which is a technique that uses chakra to enhance his muscles, and his sense of smell well beyond human levels…"

I look back to see Kiba charge Neji, running toward my cousin on all fours…

_Maybe he will be able to beat him…_

I watch Kiba lunge and swing his right hand/claw at Neji. My cousin gingerly sidesteps, allowing the move to pass him by without even a hair on his head being touched. Kiba instantly leaps into the air, dodging Neji's counterblow, a two finger strike which I can only assume was aimed at one of his tenketsu.

"I watched the match between Hinata and the Sound guy, and I saw what you Hyuga do." Kiba informs him. "You won't be hitting my chakra network, or sealing off my tenketsu…"

I see Neji shift, his expression still emotionless, holding the Gentle Fist stance and looking at his opponent.

"Regardless of what you saw, it will not change the outcome of this match…" He begins again. "You will lose, it is your destiny." He says with absolute faith.

"Shut up! Akamaru, here!" Kiba yells, tossing a black ball past Neji, and the ninja dog catches it, chewing it up.

Kiba pops a pill in his mouth, chewing on the black ball.

_Soldier pills…?_

I see chakra begin to irradiate off of Kiba's body, and Akamaru's fur shifts from white, to a sort of dirty red color.

"Now…" Kiba begins. "Ninja Art: Man Beast Clone!" He yells.

Akamaru disappears in a puff of smoke for a moment. When the smoke clears, a nearly identical copy of Kiba stands on all fours where the dog once was.

"Let's get him Akamaru!" The real Kiba yells.

With a yell, both the Inuzuka and his clone charge for Neji from opposite sides. The two spin like lethal drills, ready to run Neji through like a blade. I see him standing there, holding the Gentle Fist stance and not looking at all worried, if anything, sublime confidence floats around him in an aura.

_Does he really believe all the stuff he said about 'destiny' and that he can't lose? Does he honestly think that if he stands there and takes Kiba's attack that he'll somehow stand up without taking any damage?_

For a long heartbeat, I question my cousin's sanity, until I see him rotate to the left at the last minute, spinning his body and moving out of the way with a sly motion. I hear Kiba yell something, but it's two late. The two of them collide in a giant cloud of smoke, and I see Neji consumed by the smoke. I activate my Byakugan, looking into the smoke to see what's going on…

_He's moving…_

I see Neji move within the smoke, his hands dancing out toward the fallen Inuzuka and his dog. I watch Neji strike his tenketsu with unerring precision, his every blow sealing off one of the vital points in the chakra network. When the smoke clears, Kiba lies on the arena floor with Akamaru next to him, the dog's transformation having been undone by Neji's strikes. Neji stands over both of them, standing up straight with his arms at his sides. Looking through the Byakugan, I can tell the match is over…

_He struck the tenketsu on both of them, he's sealed off their chakra, and damaged their internal organs, and neither of them should be able to move without being racked with pain. It's over, he won…_

"Proctor, do call the match…" Neji begins, never taking his eyes off of his opponents. "These pieces of filth have lost, and are in need of medical attention."

Hayate nods.

"The winner of the match…" He begins, pausing, allowing Kiba to speak up, but the Inuzuka does not move. "…Neji Hyuga…"

Hayate waves for more medics to enter the arena, and the white clad healers enter into the arena with a stretcher. They scoop up Kiba and his poor dog, hauling both of them away. I see Neji watch the medics picking Kiba up, and I see his lips move, though no sound leaves them.

"I told you…" Hhe mouths the words silently. (He can't mutter if there is no sound coming out.)

I deactivate my Byakugan while Neji leave the arena floor and walks back up to rejoin his teacher and his team.

_The entire time he was down there, Lee and Gai didn't speak one syllable, Lee was so vocal with Ten-Ten's match and with his other teammate Neji, he was completely silent…_

It's then that I hear the light footfalls of someone approaching, and I look to see the one called Kankuro from the sand genin, wearing the strange tape wrapped backpack on his back.

"Hey, you and that boy, Neji, you're both from the same family right, so doesn't that mean you have the same abilities?" He asks without as much as a greeting.

I open my mouth to answer, but Naruto speaks first.

"Why don't you go mind your own business?" Naruto speaks up. "Hinata doesn't have to tell you anything, so go blow it out your ear!"

I see Kankuro scowl beyond me toward my teammate.

"Listen Kid, I wasn't talking to you, and…" Kankuro is cut off by the digital sound of the randomizer starting up again.

The sand genin's eyes drift to the screen. Like everyone else he watches the randomizer going to work, and then the screen spits out two names…

_Rock Lee and Gaara of the Desert…_

I see the miniature Maito Gai jump up into the air.

"Yes, IT IS FINALLY MY TURN!" Lee yells out, his right fist in the air.

Gai's left hand touches his shoulder in an attempt to calm the boy down.

"Lee, listen, there's some advice I should give you before the match…" He begins, and Lee quickly pulls out a pen and notepad.

_Does he really treat his sensei's words like they're something to live by?_

"Lee, watch the gourd on that boy's back, there's something strange about it…" Gai says, and Lee writes on the pad.

"Yes, Gai-sensei…!"

"Lee! You can't read notes in battle, now go out there and give it your all!" Gai yells, and his student joins him.

Gaara already stands in the arena, looking up toward Lee with a sadistic expression in his eyes. Lee leaps over the railing and lands in front of Gaara, a grin on his face as the dark haired boy assumes a Strong Fist stance. Hayate stands around them, glancing between Lee and Gaara.

"Do any of you have objections?" He asks, and neither boy says yes. "All right, begin!" He yells.

Hayate leaps back, and I Gaara removes the cork from his gourd, throwing it to Lee, who catches it with his left hand.

"Impatient, are we not?" Lee asks, allowing the cork to fall to the ground.

The sand ninja smirks, and sand begins to pour out from the open gourd…

_How is he doing that? How can he manipulate sand like that?_

I activate my Byakugan and look through the kekkei genkai, trying to find an answer as to how in the world Gaara can manipulate sand. I see chakra filling the sand, and I can see his chakra network is unlike a normal person's chakra network…

_His coils, they're larger then a normal person's coils. Plus, I can see a slight gold tint to his chakra, while the rest of it is an orange color. Over his entire body, I can see sand covering him in a thin layer, with chakra filling the layer of sand, holding it in place… _

Lee watches Gaara for a moment, and then the green clad genin charges. I watch the boy throw a punch, only to see the sand that lies around him pop up, forming a wall between Lee's hand and Gaara's body…

"What the…?" Naruto asks. "He can move the sand?"

"It isn't Gaara moving the sand…" Kankuro explains. "The sand is moving all on its own, independently of Gaara's will." He continues. "The sand moves to protect him, while Gaara is just standing there. That sand is the reason that Gaara has never been hurt, even when he was a little boy…"

_He's never been hurt? Does that mean that he's a Jinchuriki like I am? But, my having the Kyuubi doesn't let me move things or cast illusions or anything like that. So, if he's a Jinchuriki, why are the two of us so different? He emits bloodlust like he enjoys killing, and I've never seen him wear anything but a sadistic expression…_

Lee spins clockwise, driving his heel toward Gaara. The sand wall falls, only to rise again and intercept Lee's spin kick. The boy drops his leg, and then throws a 1-2 punch, and then drops and attempts a leg sweep. His outstretched leg is intercepted by the sand, which blocks the blow without any problem. Lee quickly retracts his leg a moment before the sand attempts to wrap around his leg. The genin jumps backward, flipping backward 3 times and coming to a stop on his feet. Lee returns to a strong fist stance, staring down the psychotic Gaara.

"Why is he only using taijutsu?" Sakura asks. "Why doesn't he get some range, and use ninjutsu?"

"A good idea…" Gai begins. "But for Lee, it isn't an option."

"What?" Sakura asks.

Lee grabs a kunai from his pouch, spinning the knife around on his pointer finger before he grips it out of the bottom of his hand. He runs forward, using the knife to attack the sand as it rises to protect Gaara. Lee fights a losing battle, attacking the granular substance with his knife, while not really doing any damage to the sand…

"He can't use ninjutsu?" Sakura asks.

"Lee was born special, but not special in the same way that Sasuke Uchiha or Neji Hyuga is referred to as special." Gai explains. "Lee was born with underdeveloped chakra network, so his abilities with ninjutsu and genjutsu are extremely retarded. Rather then focus on this, I simply had him focus on the one form of combat he can do, taijutsu, and I had him put the whole of his being into it. Because of that, I've turned his inability to a blessing."

Lee continues to strike at the sand, using his knife in a myriad of ways, trying to pierce the wall of sand and strike the shinobi beneath it. Sand moves around Lee and flanks him, poising to strike him from behind. The green clad genin appears to sense the strike coming, leaping up and into the air, avoiding Gaara's attack. The genin spins in the air, and then comes to a stop atop the large finger statues against one of the walls of the arena. The boy breathes heavily, his stomach moving up and down in an exasperated expression.

"LEE!" Gai yells, sticking out his right hand, and giving the boy a thumb up. "Go ahead, take em off!"

I see Lee's eyes go wide, and then he sits down on the statue.

_Take what off? What is he talking about? Wait a minute, those leg warmers on his legs..._

With the Byakugan, I can see the same chakra enhanced weights on Lee's legs that both Naruto and I wear on our arms and legs. I watch the boy take off the leg warmers, seeing him remove the weights, and then stand up in a T-shape, holding the weights straight out at his sides. I see the concentration of chakra in his weights is higher then even what I wear…

"He thinks little weights are going to help him against Gaara?" Kankuro asks.

A moment later, Lee lets go of the weights, and I see the restraints fall to the ground like anvils. The two sets of weights hit the ground and a giant cloud of dust and smoke flies up alongside a loud BOOM of impact. I cringe at the impact, and through the Byakugan I can see Kakashi ask 'Gai, how much weight are you making him wear.' Lee springs from the statue, disappearing in a blur of motion. He reappears near Gaara, running around him in a circle. He moves in a blur of motion around Gaara, outside the perimeter of the sand. Then, the boy disappears, and Gaara looks on, trying to find him. Lee appears above him, flipping forward in the air and driving the heel of his foot into the top of Gaara's head. Lee's foot striking Gaara is a 'thud' that rings out through the entire arena. Through my Byakugan I see Kankuro's eyes go wide, and I can tell that the red haired genin has never been hit before. Lee lands on the ground, and then disappears in a blur of motion. Lee appears behind Gaara, driving his fist into the back of Gaara's head. The red haired genin leaves his feet, spinning in the air and then landing on the ground. Gaara rolls and then comes up on one knee. The sand genin glares toward the leaf genin, a look of pure bloodlust in Gaara's eyes.

_He hit him. He moved like a blur without using an ounce of chakra enhancement and hit Gaara, getting around the sand and hitting him before the sand could move to block. _

I see Lee disappear again in a blur of motion. He reappears on Gaara's left, landing a straight jab to Gaara's head. The Genin shifts, taking three more lightning quick blows from Lee before he's knocked back, the Genin landing on the ground and rolling around his gourd. He comes up on his hands and knees, glaring back toward Lee. Lee lands on his feet, standing upright in his strong fist stance.

Gaara stands up straight, and Lee's expression shifts to one of shock. The sand that surrounds the sand genin has cracked, revealing to everyone in attendance that Gaara is covered in a layer of sand.

"What the heck is that guy?" Naruto asks. "Is he made of sand?"

"No…" Kankuro explains. "The sand covers him in an armor that protects him, so even if the shield of sand should fail, Gaara always has protection."

"Does this guy even have any weaknesses?" Naruto asks.

With that, the entire group turns back toward the match. Lee appears to be winded, as though his speed is taking its toll on his stamina…

_Running like that must take a lot out of him. He's even faster then I am without the training weights, but he doesn't have my kind of stamina…_

He stands in the strong fist stance, his right arm behind his back. Gaara stares at Lee, his right hand resting above his right eye. The sand armor surrounding him is cracked at various points, showing the damage that Lee has done. Lee stands there, breathing heavily while the sand around Gaara on the ground slides up his body, reforming the armor of sand and sealing the cracks…

Gaara removes his hand and stands up straight, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is that all?" Gaara asks, his voice showing disappointment.

"What is he…?" I hear Sakura mutter.

I see Lee grimace, and I see his head drop slightly, his stance widening slightly.

_What now?_

I see him disappear, reappearing in front of Gaara. The boy drives his right leg into Gaara's chest in an attempt to drive the sand genin into the air. The boy lifts only a small amount, and I see Lee grit his teeth. The boy reels his extended right foot, driving his left foot into Gaara in an attempt to make the boy go higher into the air. I watch while Lee sends kick after kick into Gaara's chest, the sand that protects Gaara and makes up his sand shield beginning to go up into the air to cover him once again. I see Maito Gai clap his hands together in prayer the same moment Rock Lee closing his eyes from the pain of the multiple kicks.

Then, Lee arcs out and wraps Gaara in the tape that surrounds his forearms and wrists. I see Lee grab hold of the now wrapped Gaara, beginning to spin Gaara back toward the ground…

_He's going to drive him into the ground like that? What a powerful and deadly taijutsu move. However, I'd imagine that technique takes quite a toll on the user's strength._

"Primary Lotus…!" Lee yells out, driving Gaara's head into the arena.

There's a loud WHAM as Gaara hits the ground in a cloud of smoke and dust. I watch Lee emerge from the cloud, landing on his feet with his arms drooping at his sides. The boy looks exhausted, like he's just ran several miles without a break…

_That move had to be his trump card, it's meant to finish this match, there's no way he can go on…_

I see the smoke clear, and the only thing at the impact point is a shell of sand in the shape of Gaara…

"What the…?" Gai demands and I hear Kakashi speak up.

"When you closed your eyes to pray, Lee closed his eyes from the pain, that's when Gaara made the switch." Kakashi points out.

I see the sand that makes up the sand shell break apart and crawl along the floor. The sand moves past Lee, and behind the boy I see Gaara emerge from under the floor, the sand covering his body like some sort of sand demon. I see Lee turn around, meeting the psychotic expression on his opponent's face…

_This match is over, Lee is outclassed, there's no way he can win. Gaara is some freak of Nature, he can't win…_

I look over my left shoulder to my teacher.

"Kurenai-sensei, please stop the match…" I say, and I see my teacher shake her head.

"I can't act unless one of the participants is going to die Hinata." She tells me matter of factly.

"But, Lee-san will…" I begin, and I see her shake her head again.

"If Lee refuses to see that he can't win, then he may well die." Kurenai tells me, though her eyes glance to Gai. "If that were to happen, it would be sad, but this world does not need more stupid ninja…"

I look away from my teacher, instead focusing back on what's happening in front of me.

_He's a monster, can't you see that Lee? Has Gai never taught you to see when you're in over your head?_

I see Lee smirk, the expression barely noticeable on the older genin's face.

_He's smiling?_

I see him leave the strong fist stance, moving both arms to his sides. I see him look down, an air forming around the boy. Gaara stands there, watching his opponent with a seemingly even expression.

"Will you entertain me some more?" Gaara asks.

"Gai, you didn't…?" I hear Kakashi speak, and I activate my Byakugan.

What the Byakugan shows me sends a chill down my spine…

_He's opening the inner gates?_

I can see his chakra network, and the regulators that govern the entire network, and 3 of the so-called gates inside Lee's boy have been opened…

"I did…" Gai says with a hint of pride. "Lee will do anything to prove he can be a ninja with only taijutsu, and I am willing to do anything to help him in pursuing that dream."

"Gai, it's forbidden, and you know that…" Kakashi points out.

The bowl headed man merely shrugs.

"What are you two talking about?" Sakura asks.

"The Lotus of the Leaf blooms twice…" Gai begins, and Sakura gains a look of recognition.

"Lee-san said that to me earlier…" She says, and Gai nods.

"The Lotus has two forms, the first is the technique that drives a person into the ground, and is done with a single open gate. The second Lotus, called the Hidden Lotus, can only be done after opening 4 of the gates…" Gai explains.

"How many can Lee open Gai?" Kakashi asks.

"5…" Gai responds.

I see Lee's body begin to change, with chakra flowing into the air around him.

_I've read all about the inner gates and their opening, and the dangers present in using that power…_

I listen to Kakashi, explaining the benefits and consequences of using the inner gates to everyone present, while watching the match. Lee opens the fifth gate on his body…

Lee disappears, hitting Gaara with a lighting quick kick. The sand Genin flies into the air, and Lee moves like a blur of motion, striking Gaara and knocking him around like a ball. With each hit, a thundering BOOM resounds in the arena, and I watch Lee beat his opponent senseless with a combination of hits that should kill anyone unlucky enough to receive it. My hands tighten on the rail in front of me while I watch Lee beat Gaara, finishing with a punch and kick combination straight to the boy's stomach, sending him flying down toward the ground.

For a moment, I feel as though Lee may've won, that the sand genin won't even survive the onslaught, but that feeling shatters when I see the gourd on his back begin to flake apart. I see it's made of hard sand, the gourd softening a moment before Gaara impacts the ground with a loud BOOM! The dust cloud is terrific, with even the spectators having to raise their arms and block the dust from their eyes, myself included. However, blocking my eyes with my arms does not hinder my vision, and I see that the sand Genin is indeed alive, lying on the ground with sand around him in the middle of the large cloud of dust.

Lee lands outside the cloud, looking somehow even more ragged and tired then before. He stares on into the cloud, falling backward and landing on his rear. The boy breathes heavily, apparently no longer even able to stand…

The smoke clears, revealing to all that Gaara is in fact alive…

"Impossible…" Lee mutters; the sheer disbelief evident in his voice.

He turns and starts to crawl away as sand begins to slide across the floor toward him.

I feel my grip tighten, the sand flying across the floor toward Lee…

_He'll kill him…_

I move without thinking, my hands hitting the releases on the weights on my arms and legs. I'm over the railing before Kurenai can speak a protest, kicking off the railing toward the green clad shinobi. The boy stares on in horror with Gaara's sand inches away from wrapping around his arms and legs…

The green clad boy disappears as a blur of motion hits him, snatching him away from the sand. I do my best try and protect the boy, going into a roll and trying to take most of the impact with the ground. I hear the muttered gasps of surprise from both the spectators and the proctor. I hit hard, a loud THUD echoing in my ears. I go into a roll, holding Lee in front of me. The green clad boy and I roll several times until I manage to kill the most of the momentum, stopping with him lying on the ground. I'm almost on top of him, on my hands and knees.

The green clad boy looks up at me, amazement showing in the large eyes beneath the obscenely large eyebrows…

Through the Byakugan, I can see the sand genin move his hand toward the two of us, his sand turning on the arena, the boy apparently dead set on killing Lee…

I quickly get to my feet, putting myself between the older genin and the assaulting sand. I watch it coming, preparing to use a rotation defensive technique, when Maito Gai appears in front of me in a blur of motion. With Gai's appearance, the sand stops, and I hear Gaara mutter.

"Why…?" The red haired boy mutters, his hand floating in the air. "Why do you protect him…?"

I keep my mouth shut, and it is Gai who answers.

"Lee is special to me." Gai says simply.

The sand retracts, and I feel Gaara's bloodlust pull back, disappearing into thin air. I deactivate my Byakugan while the sand returns to Gaara, reforming the gourd on his back. The boy stands up, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I quit…" The boy simply says, walking away and back toward his two teammates.

_About a minute too late…_

Hayate stands there, his eyes cast in my direction. I turn back toward Lee, seeing him struggling to get to sit up. Gai turns around; looking at me with an expression similar to one Lee gave me after I pushed him out of the way of Gaara's attack.

"Thank you…" The man says, tears falling from his cheeks. "If not for you, Lee would've…"

I shake my head.

"Something isn't right with Gaara-san." I tell Gai in a matter of fact tone. "He would've killed Lee-san if I hadn't done anything and…" I trail off, the older man nodding.

"You have saved the Fires of Lee's Youth…for that I owe you a tremendous debt!" The Green Beast of Konoha yells out enthusiastically, slapping me on the back.

I force myself not to stumble from the sheer force in the man's loving blow. I see him give me a thumb up, and flashing an uncannily bright smile.

"Gai-sensei…" Lee mutters weakly, and just like that, the older man forgets about me.

"Lee, once you've recovered you are going to run 200 laps around Konoha for this defeat, on your hands!" Gai yells at Lee and the older genin nods.

"Yes, Gai-sensei...!" Lee yells, though I see the enthusiasm leave him shortly after he finishes speaking.

_He's on his last legs, he needs to rest…_

"Come Lee…" Gai says, scooping the boy up into his arms. "I'll take you to the medical corps, and they can check you out."

Lee just nods, his eyes drifting closed in his sensei's arms. Looking at the two of them, I feel a chill run down my spine.

_They could be father and son, if I didn't know better…_

I shake my head to clear it, leaving the arena floor and walking back toward Naruto and Shino. When I pass Neji, the scowl I get from him tells me he disapproves of my action in saving his teammate.

_Sanctimonious asshole…_

I ignore the scowl and walk past him without looking directly at him. Instead I focus on my teammates. Both Naruto and Shino look concerned, while Kurenai has a mix of emotions on her face.

"Hinata…" Naruto begins.

Shino merely looks at me from behind the dark sunglasses.

"Hinata, what you did was admirable, but you realize you cost Lee his chance of winning the match?" Kurenai asks, and I nod.

"He was going to die Kurenai-sensei, it's better to lose and live then win and die."

Kurenai nods once.

"That is true Hinata…" Kurenai replies.

The rapid beeping of the screen pulls my attention away from my teacher and back toward the randomizer that decides the preliminary matches. I watch the screen flash names, looking around at the Genin who haven't fought yet…

_Both Naruto and Shino haven't fought, and the two sound genin still standing haven't fought. Ino from Team 10 hasn't fought, and Sakura and Sasuke both haven't done anything yet. I hate to think what would happen if Naruto or Shino fought against those sound genin, they seem to be out for blood, though I don't know why. Finally the two genin from Kabuto Yakushi's team haven't fought yet either. Those two are a complete mystery, I have no idea what those two can do, and then there's the snake freak…_

I glance toward the man dressed in all black, still standing behind the two remaining sound genin. He has a sly smile on his face, an expression telling me that he's happy at what he's seen so far.

_What a sadistic bastard. He's enjoying watching children beating each other within an inch of their lives…_

The screen blips, telling me the names of the next two competitors have been decided. I look up, never expecting to see what the screen displays…

_Ino Yamanaka and Kin Tsuchi…_


	12. Chapter 12

(Well, this is chapter 12, the end of the Preliminaries and beginning of the 1 month training period before the final round

(Well, this is chapter 12, the end of the Preliminaries and beginning of the 1 month training period before the final round. For those of you thinking this is all the same events, you'd be surprised at what you read, and what you see in Chapter 13. I can assure you that things don't happen the same as they do in cannon, and with the match-ups for the final round, things will be different there as well. Also, since I didn't get any questions from the last chapter, there's no Omake on this one, so it's just the chapter. I've started working on 13, though I can't make any promises as to when it will be done.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 12: Continued Turmoil

I look to see the blonde girl grin, walking away from Shikamaru and heading toward the arena floor. I glance to see the kunoichi of the sound genin leave her comrades and walk down to the arena floor. The two of them approach each other, and Hayate stands between them. The older man looks between the two 12 year old genin, and then clears his throat.

"Do either of you have any reason to protest this match?" Hayate asks.

Both of the girls shake their heads, and then Hayate waves his hand between them.

"Begin!" He yells, and then jumps back, giving both Kunoichi space.

Kin hops backward, her right arm going to her pouch. I see senbon appear in her hand, and she throws the needles toward Ino. The Yamanaka grabs a kunai to deflect the incoming senbon. She moves her knife in the air in front of her, using it to cut through the air.

"I know your trick, I was in your head, remember?" Ino asks.

The other girl grimaces, having landed on her feet from her short hop. It's then that I notice the bells attached to the fallen Senbon…

_Does she try and use that old trick, using belled Senbon to cover silent ones?_

"So, just because you think you know my trick that I'll give up on killing you?"

"A shinobi's tactics are dependent on surprise, if your enemy knows your technique then using it in battle is foolish…"

"Shut up!" Kin growls in anger.

The sound girl throws three more senbon toward Ino. Ino deflects them with her kunai and then charges forward, while cutting the wires attached to the senbon.

"I won't give you a chance to use your trick!" Ino declares.

Kin shifts, trying to move backward and keep the distance between her and her opponent. Ino starts using her kunai like a knife, trying to slash and hack at Kin's body. Kin uses a held senbon to fend off Ino's kunai. The two of them clash again and again, Ino using a heavier kunai knife against the thin senbon of her opponent. Watching the two of them brawl, I can tell that Kin doesn't really specialize in close quarters combat…

_She's barely fending Ino off. It isn't possible that Ino has her so off balance that she wouldn't be able to fight back against Ino's assault. _

Ino hacks upward with her knife and Kin half steps backward, allowing the upward strike to pass in front of her. Three senbon appear in Kin's left hand, and she swings with her other hand. The surprise attack surprises Ino, and forces the blonde girl to duck. Several strands of hair fall from the long pony-tail behind Ino. Ino's right foot shoots out, hitting Kin in her stomach and knocking the wind out of the girl. Kin lands on her back and goes into a roll, coming up on her knees and one hand. Ino follows up, moving toward her opponent at a quick run. The Yamanaka throws a right jab, connecting squarely with Kin's face. Ino follows up with 3 quick jabs to Kin's chest, and the sound kunoichi manages to raise her arms, deflecting 2 of the three follow up jabs. Kin drops and spins, executing a leg sweep. Ino quickly raises her left leg, allowing Kin's right foot to pass beneath her. Ino kicks with her left foot, extending it out toward Kin's head. The sound kunoichi shifts her head right, avoiding the kick. She gets to her feet and lunges, throwing a right jab aimed at Ino's head.

"You aren't into Taijutsu, are you?" Ino asks mockingly.

The sound kunoichi grimaces when Ino blocks her punch using her crossed arms. Ino shifts, allowing Kin's outstretched arm to slip by, and then Ino swings a backhand blow with her right fist. Kin ducks, avoiding the shot to her head. Kin lands a quick 1-2 punch combination on Ino's left ribs, and I don't even see Ino grimace. Ino closes her right hand, driving her fist into Kin's face.

"Even Shikamaru hits harder then YOU!" Ino yells out, striking Kin in the face.

The sound genin reels backward from the force of Ino's blow. Even without the Byakugan, I can see that Ino was using chakra to enhance her strength, increasing the damage done with the punch…

Kin goes into a roll, coming up on one knee and glaring toward Ino. I see pure hatred in Kin's eyes, a glare of utter hatred.

"Damn you, you little whore…" Kin mutters, reaching into her weapon pouch.

"What now?" Ino asks cockily. "Going to throw more senbon at me?"

A smirk appears on Kin's face, the girl withdrawing a small flute from her pouch.

_A flute…? What's she going to do with that?_

"A flute…?" I hear Ino mutter.

Kin places the flute to her lips and begins to play an eerie, melodic tune. I see Ino's expression shift to one of fear, her eyes going wide while Kin continues to play her song…

"What're you doing?" Ino mutters.

I see Kin smile, lowering the flute slightly.

"Didn't you invade my mind?" Kin asks. "Don't you know all my tricks?"

"How… You didn't use any of your bells…?" Ino asks.

"I use my chakra to manipulate the sound waves like Dosu does, and this song changes the influence my chakra has on you. Right now, you're looking at so many of me that there is no way you can possibly tell which one is the real one. You can't use your mind transfer technique now…"

"That's what you think…" Ino mutters.

She raises her arms, making the strange hand sign, as though she was making a targeting box with her fingers.

"I told you, it's useless. You can't possibly know which the real one is, so it's useless…"

Ino grits her teeth, and then I see her eyes close and then fall forward. She looks like she's suddenly asleep. I see Kin smirk, lowering the flute. The sound kunoichi walks forward with a smirk on her face, arrogance filling her stride. Kin stops in front of Ino, reaching out and grabbing her head by her hair. She yanks her opponent's head back, looking into Ino's closed eyes.

"Look at you, you stupid shit!" Kin yells at her, holding the flute against her left hip. "I told you it was useless you dumb shit!" Kin continues, the anger filling her voice. "You used your stupid technique in the absolute worst situation, and YOU lecture ME about being a shinobi!"

Looking at the scene before me, I feel a pang of pity for Ino.

_She did everything she could to try and win this match, and she's all but lost it…_

It's then that everyone in attendance sees Ino's right arm fly out, grasping Kin by her neck. The sound kunoichi gasps in surprise and nearly everyone else in attendance copies the motion. I see Ino wrap her hand around Kin's throat, cutting off Kin's air supply. Kin releases Ino's head and goes for her own throat. Kin scrabbles at Ino's hand, and Ino's second hand clasps around Kin's neck.

"Isn't it hard to play a flute when your throat is slowly being crushed?" Ino asks innocently. "I only pretended to use my technique, knowing it would fake you out of using your genjutsu." She explains. "You've got a choice, either you can give up now or pass out while you scratch at your own throat…"

Kin scratches at Ino's throat, the blonde girl grinning.

"It's no use, I'm using chakra to hold my hands to your throat, in order to get my hands away from your throat you'd have to rip my hands from my arms, and I don't think you've got the physical strength for it."

I see Hayate look toward Kin, the older man eying the young girl.

"Do you choose to quit the match?" Hayate asks.

Kin barely shakes her head no. Kin begins to slap at Ino's hand with her flute, probably not having any senbon left to stab into Ino's hands. Kin's face begins to go blue, and then her eyes drift closed. Kin's arms fall to her sides, and Ino glances toward the proctor.

"Can you call the match already?" The blonde Yamanaka asks.

The proctor takes careful steps toward the two of them, grabbing at Kin's arm.

"If you're still conscious, stop your arm from falling or Ino will be declared the winner of your match." He explains.

He grabs at Kin's arm, and then slowly raises it into the air. He holds Kin's right arm in the air a moment, and then allows it to fall. The arm falls straight down, without even a moment of resistance coming from Kin. Hayate looks at Kin, and then glances to Ino.

"The winner of this match, Ino Yamanaka…" Hayate declares.

Ino immediately drops Kin and allows the sound girl to land on the arena floor with a thud. The girl gasps for air, beginning to breathe even as Hayate calls for medics. Ino turns and walks back to the rafters, beaming from ear to ear with pride at her decisive win against the sound kunoichi. She walks back to her team, and I hear Asuma and Shikamaru congratulate her, though everyone else on the rafters remains silent. A single medic ninja appears from the double doors. The white clad medic picks up Kin and takes the sound girl off to be checked out. Hayate clears his throat, and the randomizer beeps, names beginning to scroll by on the screen. Like everyone else in the arena, I watch the screen flicker names by, until the screen stops, stopping on two very different names.

_Shino Aburame VS Sasuke Uchiha…_

"Shino…" I mutter in disbelief, looking toward my teammate.

The Aburame keeps his neutral expression, and I see Sasuke smirk. Both of the boys walk past the spectators and head to the arena floor. Shino walks at his calm and normal clip, while Sasuke looks ragged and almost tired. Sasuke winces when he moves his left shoulder, and I wonder just what's wrong with him…

_They survived the attack from the grass freak, but what I don't understand is Sasuke is right there, why doesn't that snake guy attack him now? Why would he bother attacking Sasuke in the forest and then leave him be here? It doesn't make any sense…_

I glance up toward the balcony on the other side of the arena, the black clad 'sensei' of the sound genin smirking and exuding confidence.

_What does he want, why is he here?_

I'm so focused on the sound 'Jounin' that I completely forget about the soon to happen match, until I hear Hayate's voice enter my ears.

"Do either of you two have any objections to this match?" He asks.

Both Shino and Sasuke shake their heads no, and the Uchiha boy smirks.

"You know you can't beat me, no matter how hard you try, right?" Sasuke asks, though Shino makes no outward expression of emotion. The Aburame removes his hands from his pockets and extends his arms, an aura of confidence exuding from him.

"My clan and I do not hold back during physical encounters…" Shino explains. "We attack our opponents with the entirety of our strength…"

"It doesn't matter if you come after me with all of your strength, the power of the Uchiha clan won't lose to you…" Sasuke retorts.

"Overconfidence has led to the downfall of greater shinobi then you…" Shino finishes.

Sasuke springs forward and attacks with a roundhouse kick. Shino ducks the kick, and then Sasuke uses his left foot, to perform a thrust kick. Shino catches Sasuke's left foot in mid air with both hands. Shino rotates Sasuke's left foot with the Uchiha spiraling in mid air. During his descent, Sasuke extends both arms and goes into a handstand, killing the spinning momentum. He stays on his hands, balancing perfectly before he sends his right foot toward Shino's head. Shino grasps Sasuke's right foot, and then uses a judo throw to hurl Sasuke using the Uchiha's own weight against him. The Uchiha flips head over heels in mid air and lands on his feet. Sasuke glares back toward Shino with his face contorted into an angry glare. It's obvious to me and everyone present that Sasuke didn't expect Shino to block his kick, and then counter Sasuke's advances and make it look so easy. Looking at the two of them, you would hardly think that Sasuke was the number 2 student at the academy and Shino was only a mediocre student. Sasuke's hand fishes into his weapon pouch, grabbing three small objects and palming them into his hand. Sasuke throws three-rigged shuriken toward Shino, with metal wire trailing the three throwing weapons. Sasuke wraps Shino with impeccable skill, using the metal wires and making it look easy. Shino's arms are bound to his sides by the metal wire, with tension on the wires, Sasuke glares at his opponent.

"Do you surrender?" Sasuke asks with his voice even and cold.

Shino simply shakes his head, and I feel my heart skip a beat when Sasuke pulls on the wires. The wires cut into Shino, going into his arms first, and the moment the arms are punctured the Shino in front of Sasuke changes into a mass of black crawling kikai bugs. The bugs fall to the ground harmlessly, and Sasuke looks stunned while his wires lie on the ground.

_When did Shino learn to use a kikai clone technique? I've never seen him use that ability before, so he must've learned it recently…_

The bugs that once comprised Shino's clone crawl on the ground toward Sasuke. Sasuke jumps back, flipping backward three times and then coming to a stop. He puts his hands together, making hand signs, and from the sequence I can tell that he's getting ready to use a fire element based technique. I hear a sound above, and I look up to see Shino fall away from the ceiling directly above Sasuke. Sasuke looks up to see his opponent falling toward him. Shino slams his fists into Sasuke's head, using an overhead two handed bash on Sasuke's head. Sasuke's head bounces off the floor with his headband absorbing much of the impact. Shino lands on his feet with Sasuke lying on his stomach. Sasuke puts his hands on the floor and then spins around like a top, trying to trip Shino with his legs. Shino flips backward lithely, moving in a smooth well-practiced motion. Shino lands on the balls of his feet, assuming a defensive taijutsu stance. Sasuke crawls to his feet, looking worse for wear then Shino does. I see Sasuke's lips move and mutter something, though without the Byakugan I can't read his lips. Sasuke's eyes turn red, and then a black mark begins to spread across his skin, the mark seemingly spreading from his neck. Sasuke smiles a sadistic smile, and bloodlust suddenly flows out of him. The surprise is evident in Shino's stance, as the Aburame shifts backward slightly, the sudden change surprising him. Before Sasuke can make a move, a cloud of smoke appears behind him, and I hear the light clap noises of hands coming together. Before the smoke clears, two arms extend from the smoke and press against Sasuke's left shoulder. The Uchiha suddenly screams in pain, cringing as though pain suddenly shoots through him from his shoulder. Sasuke's eyes close and then his body goes limp. Sasuke falls forward, and Kakashi Hatake's arms wrap around him, catching the young Uchiha before he falls completely forward. Kakashi stands behind his student, holding the now unconscious boy in his arms. Kakashi looks toward the proctor, his one visible eye totally calm.

"Sasuke will be forfeiting this match…" Kakashi explains.

The two Jounin look at each other, a look shared between them telling me that there's more going on here then meets the eye…

Kakashi scoops Sasuke onto his shoulder, and then disappears into a puff of smoke, leaving both Shino and Hayate alone in the arena.

"The winner of this match, Shino Aburame…" Hayate says, and Shino simply slips his hands into his pockets.

The mass of crawling kikai bugs crawl back to their master in a silent moment after Hayate declares him the winner. Once all the bugs return to their master, Shino silently walks back toward the rest of us. When Kakashi disappears in a puff of smoke, the Jounin 'sensei' of the three sound genin takes a step back, and I see him disappear without a sound, fading into the wall…

_Where is he going?_

I turn toward Kurenai and I tug at her white robe.

"Sensei that sound Jounin is the same man that attacked Sasuke-kun in the forest, and he's disappeared…"

My teacher glances down to me, and then toward the remaining 2 sound genin.

"Damnit…" I hear her mutter, and then she looks down to me. "Wait here Hinata, I have a feeling that man is looking for Sasuke Uchiha…" She informs Naruto and me.

She makes quick hand signs, and then disappears with a small puff of smoke. Both Naruto and I stand there while Shino returns to us, and I turn toward Sakura Haruno, the only member of squad 7 left standing.

"What was that mark that spread across Sasuke-kun's body?" I ask the pink haired kunoichi.

The girl gains a solemn expression, her gaze falling toward the ground.

"That mark was put on him by this grass ninja that we ran into in the forest." Sakura explains, pausing only for a moment. "He said it was a 'gift' from him to Sasuke-kun, and then he left before he killed either Kiba-kun or me…"

_It's supposed to be a gift?_

The rapid beeping of the randomizer pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn my eyes toward the screen. I watch the names flicker by, until the screen stops showing the two selected opponents for the next match…

_Sakura Haruno and Misumi Tsurugi. I know who Sakura is, but who is this Misume person?_

I look around and I see a man dressed in clothes similar to the clothing Kabuto Yakushi wore, except this ninja wears a cloth over his face, revealing only his eyes and nothing else. He looks to be the same age as Kabuto, though I have no idea who he is or how he fights…

Both he and Sakura leave the spectator area and enter the arena, walking toward Hayate who currently stands in the middle of the arena. Both of them stand apart from each other, and Hayate glances at Misumi, and then to Sakura.

"Do either of you have any objections to this match?" Hayate asks.

Sakura shakes her head no, and Misumi simply says 'No.'

"Begin…!" Hayate declares, leaping back.

Sakura assumes a defensive stance, and Misumi raises both of his arms.

"Once I do my jutsu, go ahead and give up…" He mutters dryly.

Sakura goes into her weapon pouch, grabbing three shuriken and throwing them at Misumi. The three throwing weapons fly toward the older genin. To the surprise of everyone present, the older genin doesn't leap or move to side. Rather, he turns his body and stretches his arms and legs in an unnatural way, the shuriken flying past him without even tearing his clothing. Sakura looks on in a surprised awe, until her opponent's right arm extends off of his body toward her. She moves on instinct, getting away from him with 3 quick hops backward. The man's arm stops at nearly 10 feet of extension, with Sakura looking at the extended arm with a look of strange surprise in her eyes.

"What are you, how can you do that?" She asks from her opponent.

"I've undergone several surgeries to gain this ability…" He comments.

The man retracts his arm and returns his body to normal. Misumi charges forward and Sakura goes for her weapon pouch, throwing 3 kunai toward Misumi. Sakura makes hand signs while the knives fly toward her opponent. Misumi easily sidesteps the three kunai and then extends his arm, shooting it toward Sakura's skull. His hand reaches her skull, and then passes THROUGH it, and the illusionary clone shatters in a puff of smoke. He retracts his arm like it's on a roll, and Misumi looks around, scanning the area looking for the real Sakura. I see kunai fly down from above Misumi, landing around him. The older genin looks up toward the ceiling along with everyone else in the room. Sakura stands attached to the ceiling, holding the wires attached to the 4 kunai in her hands. I see a slight shimmer along the wires, indicating chakra is being imbued into the wire. The wires begin to move, wrapping around Misumi with the assistance of Sakura's chakra. She feeds wire through her hands, trying to bind Misumi with the metal wires. Before the metal wires catch Misumi, he uses his body manipulation technique and slithers out from the metal binding. He literally extends his arms in an arc and plants them on the ground, then lifting his legs from the ground and forming a giant arch before he returns his body to normal size. He grabs 4 kunai from his pouch, and hurls the weapons toward Sakura, who is still suspended from the roof. She flips off of the roofs and leaves the ceiling, falling to the arena floor diagonally away from Misumi. He throws 5 shuriken toward Sakura, and then charges forward. Sakura ducks under the throwing stars with Misumi cutting the distance between them to less then 10 feet in a few moments. He reaches and extends his arm toward Sakura's head. He grasps her large forehead, and Sakura grabs a kunai from her pouch, holding it like a knife in her hand, ready to stab Misumi through his wrist. He releases her head with his right hand and then uses his left arm, though Sakura swings her kunai like a knife. He swerves his hand, barely avoiding the blade of the kunai. With her knife in her right hand, Sakura's left hand goes to her pouch, withdrawing a scroll from her pouch. She throws the knife in a smooth motion, and he simply sidesteps. She leaps backward, putting even more distance between Misumi and her, before she comes to a stop and lays the scroll out on the arena floor in front of her. She starts making hand signs, and I recognize the sequence of signs Sakura is employing…

_She's using a seal release, but a release for what?_

Sakura plants both of her hands on the scroll and then there's a puff of smoke. I look toward Misumi, who exudes confidence, and doesn't seem to care about whatever Sakura does; confident that no matter what he can win…

The smoke disappears, and Sakura holds a kusarigama in her hands. She spins the long chain over her head, showing expert skill with the weapon. The kunoichi bears a smirk on her face, and I remember back to my time at the academy. I remember the lecture given to us on weapon combat, and the various ninja weapons in the world. After the lecture, the teacher explained to us all that the Fourth Hokage recently introduced a new assignment into the academy curriculum, an assignment for each student at the academy to learn to utilize one weapon of the student's choice to at least a genin level proficiency. The teacher explained that the Fourth introduced the assignment to make the ninja coming out of the academy better well rounded shinobi.

_At the academy, most of the students, including me picked either a sword or a staff as their weapon because of the relative ease of use with either weapon. But Sakura, she picked a Kusarigama as her weapon of choice. The instructors all praised her on learning such a difficult weapon, and the entire time Sakura reveled in the praise…_

I force myself to suppress a scowl, my attention returning to the match before me.

"You know, you're really unfortunate to have gotten me as your opponent…" Sakura explains, spinning the weighted chain over her head. "I learned to use this weapon as part of an assignment created by the Fourth Hokage himself, well after you ever graduated from the academy…" Sakura informs him.

"What do you think you can do with that pitiful little toy?" Misumi asks. "Do you think it will help you?"

Sakura's expression changes to a cocky grin, and then throws the weighted end of the chain toward Misumi. The chain is obviously longer then 10 feet, giving Sakura the advantage when it comes to ranged combat. Misumi shifts left, allowing the chain to pass him by, and Sakura flicks her wrist, causing the chain to ripple in the air. Misumi sees the ripple in the chain, so he reaches out and grabs the chain, now preventing Sakura from using any ranged combat.

"Now you have no chance against me girlie…" Misumi informs her. "Now that you can't use this chain to attack, you have to get in close, and I'll be able to wrap you up nice and tight…" He mutters.

A blue shimmer travels along the chain, and once the shimmer encounters Misumi's hand, the older genin pulls his hand away, acting like he just received a static shock. Sakura yanks the chain back and smiles.

"What did you do?" Misumi demands and Sakura exudes confidence.

"You can't figure it out?" Sakura asks with an arrogant tone to her voice. "I sent a stream of positively charged chakra down my chain, and when it encountered your hand and the chakra in your body, it created a sensation similar to a powerful static shock."

Misumi's face contorts behind the veil, forming an obvious scowl. He's obviously not happy that he was outsmarted by a 12-year-old girl. Sakura begins to spin the chain over her head again, preparing for her opponent to lunge at her. He draws 3 shuriken from his pouch and throws them toward Sakura in a backhand motion. The three throwing stars cut through the air, and Sakura uses the side of the bladed weapon to deflect the thrown weapons, the metal contact clanging into the air. The stars clatter to the ground near her feet, and Misume charges for Sakura. He extends his right arm out, aiming for her collar. She throws the weighted end of the chain, trying to hit him in the head and knock him out. He cocks his head to the left and avoids the chain, the chaining passing within inches of his head. His hand grabs her collar, and in response she swings the bladed end of the kusarigama toward his hand, trying to cut it off. His hand leaves her collar, and a shimmer goes down the chain. The chain moves on it's own with Sakura's chakra influence. The chain section nearest his head moves like it's magnetized to his head, wrapping around his head and neck. Once the chain is in place, Sakura jumps forward, yelling out with chakra enhanced strength. She slams the back end of the kusarigama into his skull, and the loud CRACK of impact can be heard throughout the entire arena. Misumi's body falls limp, the chain sliding through Sakura's hand as his entire body falls backward. He lands with a thud, and Hayate examines Misumi, watching the older genin lie there.

He slowly walks toward the older genin and kneels down next to him, feeling for a temporal pulse on his forehead…

He stands up and looks toward Sakura.

"The winner, Sakura Haruno…!" He declares. "I need more medics, this ninja has a concussion!"

With that, Sakura pulls the chain from her former opponent and then wraps the chain in her hand. She walks back over to the scroll, and returns the kusarigama to the scroll with a small puff of smoke. Once the weapon is returned to the scroll, she picks it up and returns it to her pouch. Two medics emerge from the doors with a stretcher. They slowly put Misumi on the stretcher, and then both of the medics carry the older genin off toward the emergency room.

"This exam certainly has a lot of casualties…" I hear one of the medics mutter before they leave the arena floor.

Sakura leave the arena floor shortly after the medics, and the pink haired girl walks up the steps and back toward us. Neji remains impassive when she walks by, and I can tell that Sakura is visibly exhausted from her match. I risk a glance toward Naruto, and I see the blonde genin look back to me, and he smiles back at me. I quickly turn away, not knowing how to respond…

"It is rather strange that 2 of the 3 members of Squad 7 fell in these preliminary matches…" Shino points out.

"Yeah, Kakashi Hatake is supposed to be this genius ninja, but it looks like he hasn't been teaching his students that much…" Naruto points out.

The randomizer begins again, pulling the attention of everyone present back toward the board. Those in the arena who have and haven't yet fought watch the display intently, and I personally wonder who Naruto will have to fight…

_At least he doesn't have to fight that crazy Gaara person…_

The screen stops, displaying the names Zaku Abumi and Kankuro…

_Kankuro is the sand genin who wears black, but who is this Zaku person?_

I see the black clad sand genin walk away from his two teammates, and at the same time the last remaining sound genin, the one with spiky hair and two broken arms walks into the arena. The two of them approach each other, walking toward Hayate who currently stands in the middle of the arena. When the two of them face each other, the sand genin smirks.

"What do you plan on doing with both of your arms in slings?" Kankuro asks, and the sound genin smiles a cocky smile.

"I don't need my arms to kick the crap out of a weak desert loving fruitcake…" Zaku responds.

Hayate looks between them, and doesn't bother asking either of them if they have any objections. He begins the match with a wave of his hand, and then leaps back, giving Kankuro and Zaku room to move. Zaku jumps forward and kicks at Kankuro, causing him to shift his head to the left to avoid Zaku's foot. The sound genin kicks again and again, trying in vain to strike Kankuro, in spite of his broken arms. Then, Zaku spins around and drives his foot into Kankuro's chest. The blow lands with a loud CRACK, and Kankuro reels backward from the force of the kick. Zaku leaps forward, covering the small distance in a moment, extending his right foot and aiming for Kankuro's head. Zaku's foot lands, impacting Kankuro's head and knocking the other boy backward, with Zaku pursuing him with a counter clockwise spinning kick to the side of the sand genin's head. Kankuro lands on the ground, and then gets to his feet, only to be hit again and again. The sounds of flesh meeting bone reverberate through the arena again and again, and I feel myself cringing at watching the sheer one sided…beating going on in front of me. Zaku kicks Kankuro again and again, each blow knocking the boy down, but the sand genin just gets up again, only to be struck again.

After nearly 15 minutes, Zaku lands a kick, and Kankuro doesn't reel backward. Instead, Kankuro's arms reach out and grasp Zaku's ribs, extending to an unnatural distance. The flesh on 'Kankuro's' face falls away, and beneath it is the inhuman face of a large ninja puppet. The wrap backpack on the puppet's back unravels, revealing what I can only assume is the real shinobi, with blue chakra strings extending off of his right hand toward the ninja puppet. The disguise on the puppet shatters like sand falling away from Gaara, and the strange puppet is revealed in all of its disturbing glory. The puppet's legs extend and wrap around Zaku, with the puppet's arms doing so as well. The puppet, held purely by its strings, binds Zaku completely. With the chest of the puppet pressed against Zaku's body, the boy's arms are pinned to chest, while the puppet holds himself to Zaku. Kankuro smirks, with an air of arrogance forming around him.

"I'll break every bone but your neck…" He mutters.

Kankuro moves his fingers, and the puppet goes to work. The weapon goes to work, and I hear the resounding cracks coming from Zaku's body that tell me the puppet is going about breaking Zaku's body to nothing. Once the puppet is done its gruesome task, it releases Zaku from its grip. The sound genin falls, a broken mess…

"The winner of the match…Kankuro…" Hayate declares.

Hayate calls for medics while Kankuro returns his creepy looking puppet to his back. Kankuro walks away while the medics place Zaku on the stretcher, the sound genin unconscious and unable to even speak. The medics haul Zaku away, and Kankuro returns to his teammates. While the black clad genin from the sand village returns to his comrades, I realize that Naruto and the single remaining man from Kabuto Yakushi's team are the only 2 genin left, and thus will have to fight each other…

Hayate motions for both Naruto and the only remaining genin to enter the arena once Zaku is hauled away. The two genin walk toward each other, and stop with 5 feet between them. The older genin from Kabuto's team stands over Naruto, though the son of the Fourth Hokage doesn't appear the least intimidated by the size difference…

"Naruto Namikaze, Yaroi Akado, do either of you have any objections to this match?" Hayate asks, naming both of them.

_So, his name is Yaroi Akado, but what's his technique? How does he fight?_

It's then that I see the sound Jounin return, and a few moments later Kurenai-sensei appears in a puff of smoke behind me. My teacher stands with her arms crossed, though I have no idea where Kakashi Hatake is, or even if he's still alive…

Kurenai takes the scene in front of her in, and then I see her eyes lock on her student standing down in the arena…

"Sensei, what happened?" I barely speak.

"I'll explain later Hinata, what matters for now is that Sasuke Uchiha is safe, and everything is fine…" She informs me, her attention still on the arena.

I open my mouth to inquire more information, but Hayate's voice pulls my attention to the arena floor.

"Since you have no objections, BEGIN!" He commands, and then leaps away.

Yaroi makes hand signs, and with the last sign I see his glow with a blue aura.

_What kind of jutsu is that?_

The older genin rushes toward Naruto, swinging his right hand at Naruto. Naruto moves, keeping his eyes on his opponent and just one step ahead of him. Naruto's speed keeps him ahead of Yaroi, who never uses his left hand or his feet, instead trying again and again with his right hand, not even trying to punch Naruto, just grab him…

_He must do something with his hand, Naruto, please be careful…_

The blonde boy ducks a thrust from Yaroi's right hand, and then sends his left foot out into Yaroi's stomach. The weight from Naruto's restraints is transferred from his leg into Yaroi, and the older genin is knocked back, his feet sliding against the stone floor. While Yaroi slides back, Naruto makes the sign of the ram, molding chakra around him.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu…!" Naruto yells out.

With a singe loud POP, 10 copies of Naruto spring into existence. The 10 Naruto clones and the single real Naruto charge Yaroi. The older genin uses his right hand, grabbing whatever Naruto he can get his hands on, and each clone he grabs shortly afterward disperses, even though Yaroi doesn't do anything to them other then hold them by whatever part of the body he can get his hands on. Somehow the older genin manages to keep either the real Naruto or any of his shadow clones from landing a hard blow, taking several glancing and light blows to his body as he disperses the 10 shadow clones over 5 minutes, when only a single Naruto is left standing. The real Naruto and Yaroi stand 10 feet across from each other, and the older genin raises his right hand. The glow on his right hand is now brighter then it was when he first executed the jutsu, and I see Naruto with a determined look on his face.

"I'll end this match quickly, since these preliminary matches have gone on for too long as it is…" He mutters.

Naruto nods once, and then makes the sign of the ram again. 9 shadow clones appear around the real Naruto, and 7 of them charge forward, yelling a battle cry with kunai knives in hand.

"Is that the only technique the son of the 4th Hokage knows?" Yaroi taunts, charging forward.

The 7 Narutos and Yaroi collide, with Yaroi dodging and grabbing the shadow clones. Every time his hand touches one of the clones, he grabs hold and I notice his arm muscles flex, as though he was concentrating on them for some reason, then the clone shatters. While the 7 of them tangle with Yaroi, the other 2 clones and Naruto stand huddled together, as though they were planning something…

"This appears familiar…" Shino comments next to me, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

Looking at the 2 clones and the real Naruto huddled together, I recognize what the blonde boy is planning to do, what he did in the forest…

_He's going to use that technique that his father taught him, the Rasengan, or whatever it's called…_

The 2 shadow clones disappear in a puff of smoke, revealing Naruto holding a blue ball of what appears to be spinning chakra. Yaroi charges with the 7 clones dispelled, and he reaches Naruto, grabbing the son of the 4th Hokage by the collar. Naruto grins, and drives his right hand into Yaroi's chest. For a moment, the two of them stand there, Yaroi holding Naruto by the collar while the Rasengan begins to damage Yaroi. Yaroi begins to scream when the chakra releases, light flaring from the impact point, sending Yaroi flying backward. His hand leaves Naruto's collar a moment before the Rasengan blasts him backward, and the older genin spirals in the air, slamming into the far wall with a loud thud. Hayate stands there, glancing to Naruto, who now stands with his arms slumped in front of him, his breathing heavy. Then, Hayate shifts his gaze to Yaroi, who lies in a slump against the far wall, his shirt torn away revealing a bloody hole near his stomach.

"The winner is, Naruto Namikaze!" Hayate declares.

Naruto cracks a grin, chuckling to himself, and then he falls forward in an exhausted fall. I jump over the railing before I even realize I'm doing it, and I'm at his side before even Kurenai-sensei. I activate my Byakugan and look at my teammate, seeing his chakra coils are mostly empty, indicating he's exhausted nearly all of his chakra. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that Naruto is just low on chakra, and he isn't hurt or dying. Kurenai and Shino are next to me a moment later.

"Have you examined him, Hinata?" Kurenai asks, and I nod, deactivating my Byakugan and turning toward my teacher.

"He's just exhausted both mentally and physically." I explain.

"I need medics out here, now!" Hayate yells out.

The double doors open, and 4 medics enter onto the arena floor. They have a stretcher between each of them, and the two trained paramedics place both Naruto and Yaroi onto the stretchers and haul them off. Both Shino and I start to follow, but Kurenai places her hand on each of our shoulders.

"You both need to remain here; if you aren't here you could forfeit your place in the final round…" She warns the two of us.

I nod, and Shino replicates the gesture.

"These preliminary matches are over!" Hayate declares. "There will be a 5 minute intermission before the final round selection." He says. "Any genin able bodied genin who won their matches should remain here for the selection."

Hayate walks toward the rafters, and Kurenai removes her hands from Shino and me.

"I'll go check on Naruto, and make sure he's all right." Kurenai explains to us. "You two remain here for the selection, you can come and see him afterward."

Both Shino and I nod our agreements, and our teacher walks away, through the double doors, leaving both of us alone to face the selection ceremony.

After 5 minutes, the 9 of us who are still standing that won our matches are lined up; I stand on the end with Shino standing next to me on my right. I note that Neji is at least 4 people away from me. Ahead of us, the 4th Hokage stands in front of us, behind him Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino stand. Ibiki holds a clipboard and Anko holds a small white box. The 4th Hokage clears his throat, pulling our attention to him.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on surviving this 2nd round of the Chunin exams." He begins. "I see several leaf shinobi, as well as genin from the sand village, and that fills me with a sense of pride at seeing the young leaf shinobi in front of me." He continues. "Now, I'll explain to all of you the final round of these Chunin exams and that final round will be a single elimination tournament that will be held in exactly 1 month."

Shikamaru raises his hand, and the 4th nods toward him.

"If the final round is a tournament, then will only the winner of that tournament be made Chunin?" Shikamaru asks.

Minato Namikaze shakes his head.

"Myself, as well as the Kazekage and the other nobles and lords that will be giving you your ninja missions, will be in attendance at the final round, and after the tournament, those that we feel qualified will be made Chunin. That said; it's possible that everyone here will be made Chunin, and it's also possible that none of you will be made Chunin. The only point to winning consecutive matches is to increase the number of opportunities to showcase your skills." He explains. "Does that answer your question?"

Shikamaru nods and the 4th Hokage looks to the other 8 genin assembled in front of him.

"Are there any other questions?" He asks, and I and the other genin remain quiet. "All right, now, you 9 will draw lots to arrange the match ups for the next round." He explains.

"Just remain there; I'll come to you…" Anko says, walking toward me.

She holds the box out to me, and I see a large slot in the top. Anko holds the box out to me, and I stick my hand in, feeling a bunch of golf ball sized balls in the box. I grab a single ball, and then pull my hand out, and I look at the number printed on the box.

"What number did you get?" Ibiki asks.

"Number 1…" I respond, looking down at the 1 printed on the white ball.

Ibiki makes a note on the pad in front of him, and Anko moves to Shino, who sticks his hand into the box and grasps a ball.

_Please don't get number 2…_

"I drew 10…" Shino explains, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

_We're on opposite ends of the brackets, thank goodness…_

Anko moves on to Ino Yamanaka, who sticks her hand into the box.

"I got 6…" Ino says.

Anko moves to Neji, who sticks his hand in and grabs a ball there. He withdraws the ball, and I feel my blood go cold when the smirk appears on his face.

"Number 2…" Neji says, sadistic glee filling his voice.

_Neji-nii-san and I have to fight, right away? I knew at one point I'd have to fight him, but so soon…_

Anko moves next to the kunoichi of the sand genin, who reaches into the box and withdraws her own number.

"I drew number 3…" Temari says.

Anko moves to the psychotic Gaara, who reaches his hand into the box and withdraws a ball.

"7…" He mutters.

Anko moves to Kankuro, who repeats the same action everyone before him has done.

"5…" Kankuro says.

Anko moves to Sakura who reaches into the box as well.

"9…" Sakura says.

_That means that she'll be fighting Shino in the last match. I hate to be her right about now…_

Anko moves to Shikamaru, who reaches his hand into the box lazily.

"4…" The Nara mutters, holding the ball in hand.

"With that, the missing Naruto Namikaze will be Number 8, with the standings looking like this…" Ibiki says.

Ibiki shows the clipboard, showing everyone the standings and who their respective opponents are. I see my name and Neji's name in the 1 and 2 slots, and I can't help but swallow the saliva in my mouth…

I feel Shino's hand on my shoulder, and the boy gives me a reassuring squeeze.

"There will be a 1 month grace period between now and the final round, as I said earlier…" Minato Namikaze begins. "The next month should be used for training, as the people here have seen all of your jutsu that you know now, so you should learn some new techniques before the final round, and get stronger so you can give your best performance as a shinobi." He explains. "As of now, you all are free to go for the next month, your respective Jounin will be informed of the final round tournament location, and you'll be expected to be there at the appointed time."

Both Shino and I leave the line up, going through the double doors to the infirmary. I enter the hallway and move through it quickly, finding the infirmary by instinct. I enter into the infirmary, finding Naruto by feeling alone, and I see the boy lying in bed, resting peacefully while Kurenai-sensei sits next to him…

I see Kurenai-sensei smile when she sees the 2 of us, and I don't know what to say when my teacher stands up, with my teammate behind me to my right.

"I take it you both have your match ups…" Kurenai says in a light voice, and I nod.

"Hinata is to face Neji Hyuga, while Sakura Haruno is my opponent…" Shino says in a matter of fact tone.

Naruto groans and he sits up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey Shino, who do I have to fight?" Naruto asks, and I look to see him rubbing at his eyes wearily.

"Naruto, you should be resting…" I protest, moving around the foot of the bed, and gently placing my hand on his left shoulder.

"Gaara of the Desert is your opponent…" Shino says once I finally manage to get Naruto to lie down, and immediately the boy sits up again.

"What? I have to fight him? I can't be sitting here then…" He nearly screams.

He goes to throw the covers off, only to meet Kurenai-sensei's stare, and I reach out, touching him on his left shoulder.

"You need to rest, Naruto…" I remind him gently. "You'll be recovered by tomorrow, and once you're rested you can start your training."

I see him gain a solemn look, and then nod. He looks toward me, and I feel my cheeks flush.

"You're up against, Neji, right?" He asks, and I nod, not trusting my voice. "Is it really okay that you're going up against him?"

I nod.

"I think I will be all right, Naruto…" I respond. "I will handle my match, and if the time comes that we should encounter each other, I will fight you with honor."

Shino nods and I see Naruto grin.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'll burn that bridge when I come to it." Naruto says.

"Why are you concerned about Hinata's match?" Kurenai-sensei asks.

"Well, it's just that I've heard so much about the Hyuga clan, and about this Hizashi-teme and his plans for overtaking the Hyuga." Naruto says. "I would think that Neji would be in on this plan of his, and he'd use the opportunity to try and kill Hinata…" Naruto explains to Kurenai.

"Wouldn't they feel fear at the Hokage for deliberately breaking the rules?" She asks, and Naruto shakes his head.

"They don't care about rules or morality, Neji will use the chance to kill Hinata for some twisted sense of revenge…" He says, and I feel shame well up inside me.

_He's talking about my clan, MY blood…_

"Um, Kurenai-sensei, what do you think of this situation?" Naruto asks, and my teacher looks to me, and then to him.

"I never held the Hyuga in very high regard, even though Hiashi is a hero, he didn't volunteer to be the sacrifice, and he was more or less forced into that position." She explains.

"It would be prudent to involve Hokage-sama in this matter…" Shino begins. "With the involvement of the grass ninja, and the aberrant mark on Sasuke Uchiha, this exam has been compromised."

"Yes, one of the Tokubetsu Jounin involved in the exam had an encounter with the man you're talking about, Orochimaru…" Kurenai begins. "Even with Hokage-sama and the other Jounin of this village, Orochimaru is very dangerous, and has made it clear he desires to see these exams continue. Also, the Chunin exams involve not only our country but the other nations of the world as well. Were Hokage-sama to stop the exam, the Land of Wind would be very angry for him denying their three genin a chance to advance, and conflict could arise. Also, Orochimaru would be very displeased, and likely bring calamity onto the village in a manner similar to the Kyuubi No Kitsune attack 12 years ago."

Hearing her bring up the demon fox, I feel a pang of guilt, looking down at my stomach; I can almost see the seal on my stomach that contains the demon, the beast I carry within me…

"Hinata…" Kurenai-sensei's voice pulls me back to reality, and I look to see her staring at me. "It isn't your fault; you have nothing to feel guilty about…" She says, reading me like an open book.

Naruto looks confused, and Shino keeps his impassive expression as usual.

"What do you mean sensei?" Naruto asks, and Kurenai's gaze flicks to him, and then back to me.

"In our time together, I've learned to read all three of you and your emotional states. Before I spoke, Hinata was feeling guilty about the Kyuubi attack, in spite of the fact that it had nothing to do with her, and the only thing she has to do with it is the fact that she contains the demon."

Naruto's gaze turns to me, a suddenly worried expression crossing his face.

"Is this true Hinata?" He asks, and I nod, looking down, avoiding their eyes.

"I can't help it…" I mutter, kicking my feet at the air.

"You have done nothing to have to accept blame, Hinata…" Shino begins with his tone clipped and emotionless. "As our sensei has stated previously, your only connection to the Kyuubi No Kitsune is that it is now trapped within your body. Anything prior to the event that brought this into being is not your fault, but the fault of the demon…"

I nod, raising my face, but still not meeting their eyes.

"I know, but…" I open my mouth, only for Kurenai to speak up.

"But nothing Hinata…!" She cuts me off using a forceful tone. The first time any of us have heard her speak in a forceful tone. "You are you, the demon is the demon, you aren't the same thing, and you definitely are NOT the demon, am I clear on that?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yes, sensei…"

"Anyway…" Kurenai begins again. "If Hokage-sama cancels the exams, people will want to know why, and Orochimaru would not like having his presence here made known to the other villages. Finally, the first two stages of the exam are merely a means to weed out the weak candidates from this, the third and final round. If we were to stop the exam now, it would be as though it never really happened, and many of the other nations would be VERY displeased at that…"

Kurenai stops talking, and a moment later a nurse enters the room, dressed in a usual hospital nurse uniform, the brown haired woman speaks quickly and quietly.

"I'm afraid your visit will have to end now…" The woman says. "Namikaze-sama needs his rest, and I'm sure he'll be released tomorrow." The nurse finishes.

I nod, and Kurenai-sensei, Shino and I leave the room, saying our good byes to Naruto and telling him to get some rest. Kurenai leads us from the medical area to an underground tunnel, which leads under the forest and lets out in the village proper. On the trip to the tunnel I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulders, nearly forgetting the item in the post exam rush. The tunnel is dank and dark, and once we emerge into the village streets, it's like night and day…

Kurenai stops in the street, turning toward the two of us well enough away from the tunnel exit and far enough out of the way so as not to cause a problem with foot traffic.

"For the next month, we won't be doing any missions together." Kurenai informs Shino and I. "You have the next month to train and prepare for the final stage of the Chunin exams. Seeing as both of you are members of shinobi clans, I assume that you will seek your training from your elders within your respective clans." Kurenai continues.

Shino nods and I look down a moment, and then back up again.

"Um, grandmother doesn't want to teach me anything new for a while, so I'd really appreciate it if you would train me this next month, Kurenai-sensei."

I see my teacher smile, and then she shakes her head.

"Unfortunately, Hokage-sama wishes to see you about your training over this next month. He informed me during the selection process when he stopped in to check on Naruto." Kurenai continues. "He wants to see you in 2 hours, so you should go home and get clean, and then report to his office."

"Do you have any idea what kind of training he wants to put me through?" I ask, and my teacher shakes her head.

"To be honest Hinata, I have no idea…" She says. "Though, whatever it is I'm sure it will make you stronger…"

I nod, and I see Shino tip his head to me.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now…" I say, waving good-bye to the two of them before I turn and walk away from them.

Leaving the two of them, I walk quickly back toward the Hyuga home, knowing full well that my time is ticking past, and I only have so long to wash the sweat and Dosu's dried blood off of me before I go visit the Hokage. I sniff the sleeve of my jacket, and then reel away, my jacket smelling like a wet, dirty dog…

_Need to wash this as well…_

I ignore the stares and expressions from the other villagers, and instead I focus my thoughts on the training I'm supposed to get from the 4th Hokage, and what he might have me do for the next month…

Before I know it, I'm at the Hyuga home. I nod to the branch family member on guard duty, and I enter the home, leaving my shoes at the door I walk toward my room, wanting nothing more then to get clean and get ready for my trip to the Hokage's office. The trip back to my room takes me past my grandmother's chamber, and when I pass her door, her voice emerges from within.

"Come in, my granddaughter…" She bids of me through the door, and I nod, turning and entering the clan leader's bedchamber.

The room is dimly lit as usual, unlike her office where she does much of her work. My grandmother sits on her bed, her legs crossed and her eyes closed, though the veins around her eyes bulge…

"What is it you wish of me, grandmother?" I ask, and the woman makes no outward move.

"I have been appraised of your progress in the exam and of the match ups for the final round…" She says, informing me that she already knows about my duel with Neji. "I suggest that you take this next month to practice the secret arts of the Gentle Fist I taught you in the week before the exam." Hibana Hyuga begins. "If you were to master a few of those techniques, then you would be more then well equipped to defeat your cousin."

I nod to her.

"I will do that, my grandmother." I respond with a respectful tone. "If you wish nothing more of me, then I must take my leave. I have a meeting with Hokage-sama in an hour and a half, and I must get ready."

My grandmother nods once.

"Very well, you may leave." She says, and I nod again, taking my leave of her.

I leave the room and head back to my own room, breathing a sigh of relief at getting out of her bedchamber. Even though she bears me no ill will, and has done everything she can to protect me and the main lineage of the Hyuga clan, I cannot help but get apprehensive around her.

Once I'm back in my room, I quickly go about showering and changing clothes, leaving the dirty jacket on the bed and instead going for a dark blue t shirt and another pair of light blue pants, both of them clean from my closet. I strap my pouch to my right thigh, and place my headband around my neck. Once I'm dressed and presentable, I leave the Hyuga home and walk toward the tower.

Without the telltale jacket that I've always worn, people don't recognize me as quickly, so they don't stare at me like I'm a monster immediately, and I'm glad for that. On my way to the tower, I happen to pass the Konoha hot springs, and I see an older man with white hair attached to the wall of the woman's side of the bath, his red robe making him stick out like a sore thumb to anyone passing by.

The man sticks 10 feet in the air, only his head popping over the top of the wall. I see one of his hands is attached the wall, the other hand holding a pair of binoculars up to his eyes, the instrument practically squeezed against his eyes. I notice he wears dark green pants and wooden red clogs on his feet, his white mane tied back into a spiky ponytail. He wears a red and green scroll at the small of his back, and while I can't get a good look at his face, I know what a perverted peeping tom looks like when I see one…

Drawing a deep breath into my lungs, I start to scream.

"Oh Kami, there's a MAN PEEKING INTO THE WOMAN'S BATH, HE'S A PERVERT!" I yell out as loud as I can.

The old peeping tom's body nearly jumps in surprise at my scream, and I hear several female voices from the other side of the wall gasp in surprise, others just scream. I see a wash bowel fly up and hit the perverted old man square in his face, knocking the binoculars into his eyes and knocking the old man down and into some bushes below the wall. The man hits with a thud, and I turn away from him, putting my back to the pervert.

"Serves you right…" I mutter, walking away from scene when I hear the sound of angry female voices on the other side.

_Maybe they'll beat him up a little as a message to other people like him. It's because of people like him that I don't use those springs, that, and my prisoner…_

I squelch the train of thought before it can continue; instead I focus on the tower, and whatever it is the 4th Hokage has planned for me…

&

I arrive at the tower with 15 minutes to spare, so I take my time making my way up the steps to the floor with the Hokage's office on it. Walking down the hall, none of the people here give me a look of disrespect or anger, and when I see the Chunin guard outside merely nod to me, I see that the 4th didn't appoint another idiot like the one Naruto decked…

Remembering the incident brings a smile to my face, and I walk into the 4th's office to see the busily working. The Chunin silently closes the door to the office, giving the two of us some privacy. I remain silent, trying to eliminate my presence as much as possible, but I know that I cannot remain in the room long and have the 4th unaware of my presence…

"Are you going to just stand there watching me, or are you going to ask what I've called you here for?" Minato Namikaze asks with a relaxed tone, looking up from his paperwork and smiling at me. "It's good to see you're in good health, Hinata."

I bow to man.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." I respond.

The man gets up, walking around his desk and leaning against the front of the desk, Hokage's robe and all.

"I need to talk to you, Hinata…" He begins with a serious tone. "Have you ever heard of something called Akatsuki?" He asks.

_Akatsuki…?_

"Akatsuki…?" I repeat, and the older man nods.

"Have you ever heard of them?" He asks, and I shake my head.

"No, what are they, Hokage-sama?" I ask.

The man looks down a moment, crossing his arms over his chest, and then looks up to meet my gaze again.

"The Akatsuki are a criminal organization of nine S ranked shinobi, each member is listed predominantly in each country's Bingo Book." He begins. "For a time, there were 10 of them, and Orochimaru was one of them, until he went off on his own, while the other nine split up into teams of two. From what we know, the criminal older brother of Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha is one of them as well. From what information we've been able to gather, the 2 man teams of Akatsuki at first stuck to small missions, remaining mostly hidden and not doing anything worth attention. However, now they've begun to openly search for the Bijuu, and the Kyuubi No Kitsune is obviously one of their targets." He finishes.

"The…the demon…?" I ask, looking down to my stomach.

"Yes…" His voice wafts into my ears. "From what we can tell, the Akatsuki are hunting the Bijuu in no particular order, and that means they could come for you at any time, Hinata…" He informs me.

_They'll come for me, just because I'm the one who imprisons the Kyuubi?_

"What do they do with the other Jinchuriki?" I ask, and the Fourth shrugs his shoulders.

"We don't know, and I won't lie to you, but I can't imagine they do anything else other then kill them, Hinata."

_They kill them?_

"But…why kill them?" I ask, and again the Fourth shrugs.

"We don't know; we only know that they're looking for them, and since you are not only the heir of the Hyuga, but the Jinchuriki as well, you have to be prepared."

"How can I be prepared, Hokage-sama?" I ask, and it's then that the door to the office opens.

I turn my head to look, and I see a tall man with a strange gray horned headband walk into the room. He wears dark green clothes and a red robe, with long white hair and a scroll hangs at his mid back. Looking at his face, he looks like he's in his late 40's to early 50s, and judging from his build, I'd assume he hasn't allowed age to slow him down…

"Jiraiya-sensei…" I hear Minato say in greeting, and the gears turn in my head, everything clicking together.

_Sensei… then this must be the perverted teacher Minato had when he was a genin! Plus, this man has to be the one that was peeping into the woman's bath at the hot springs on my way over here! He's nothing but a perverted old lecher…_

_Wait… did he say Jiraiya, as in THE Jiraiya of the Sannin? No, that's impossible. There's no way a perverted old man like him could possibly be worthy of legendary status…_

"Ah, Minato…" The old man begins, and both teacher and student share an embrace, like two friends who haven't seen each other for a long time.

Looking at the two of them, I feel a chill down my spine when I almost imagine that the scene before me is reminiscent of what a father and son should look like…

The hug is over in a moment, and the older man keeps his hands on the 4th Hokage's shoulders, a beaming smile on the old lecher's face…

"How have you been, still married to that sultry little red head?"

The 4th breathes a short sigh.

"You know, if Kushina heard you say that, you'd end up with a fat lip…" Minato responds.

"Ah well, it wouldn't be the first time a woman has hit me in rejection of my advances. Seriously though, if I were 20 years younger…"

"Sensei, I hardly think that topic is appropriate…" Minato cuts his teacher off, and the old man looks at him.

"What're you talking about?" The old lecher asks.

Minato motions with his left hand toward me, and the old lecher's eyes and face follow the motion, until his gaze finds me standing there, watching the two of them…

"Oh, I didn't notice you were talking to anyone Minato…" The old man says, removing his hands from his student, and turning to face me with his body.

_The way he's looking at me, I can't help but think he's undressing me with his eyes…_

I feel a chill go down my spine at the thought, and then I see the old man smirk.

"Give it a few years, and she'll probably fill out rather nicely…" Jiraiya comments and I can't control the flush that comes to my face.

The 4th looks like he's suddenly very tired, as though he's heard all of this before.

"Sensei, you DO realize who this is, don't you?" Minato asks, and the old man turns toward him.

All at once the perverted air around the old man is gone, replaced with a serious air that I never imagined an old pervert could have…

"Yes, I know who she is, Minato…" He begins, turning back toward me. "You're Hinata Hyuga, are you not?"

I try to suppress my earlier blush, nodding once and glad for the chance to look away from him.

"Yes, I am Hinata Hyuga…" I respond.

"Well, do you know who I am?" The old man asks.

"Um, you're 4th Hokage-sama's old teacher…"

I barely notice the old man smile.

"All that and more…" He begins, and the old man strikes a rather flamboyant pose. "I AM JIRAIYA, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL MOUNTAIN TOAD SAGE!"

Once the older man is done, the 4th Hokage shakes his head slowly, an expression of exasperation crossing his face…

_Oh boy…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Life's Curve balls…

(Well, this is 13, and probably the last chapter that I'll be able to post until the last week of June, unless the hotel we're staying at has Wi Fi, I can't use my e mail account when I tether my PDA to my laptop. Anyway, my beta said he enjoyed this chapter, and I hope that you'll do so as well. There's some important information in this one that will be required knowledge later during the final round. Anyway, I'm working on 14 now, and I wouldn't expect it to go to my beta until after Tuesday.)

Chapter 13: Life's Curve balls…

A moment after the 'Toad sage' makes his brazen declaration, the office falls into an eerie silence, though I'm too outraged to notice it…

_He expects me to believe that a perverted old man that peeks on woman while they're bathing and only thinks about sex is one of the legendary Sannin? He actually expects me to think of him as a powerful shinobi, when all I've seen him do is act like a perverted old man?!_

"You're no toad sage, more like a pervert sage."

The man flicks an eyebrow at me, and his gaze slowly turns to his student.

"Minato, will tell you tell this girl I am who I say I am?" Jiraiya demands of the Fourth.

The middle aged blonde man shrugs his shoulders.

"I can't make her believe anything, Jiraiya-sensei." He responded with a sly grin. "Maybe if she actually saw you act like a ninja rather than a peeping tom, she might be more inclined to believe you."

The old man snaps his head around, looking at me with both of his eyes, and I feel another chill run down my spine…

_I just get the feeling that he's undressing me with his eyes, and I want to put my arms over my body…_

I resist the urge to cover myself, and the old man sighs.

"Fine…" He mutters, standing up straight. "You want proof that I am who I claim to be, then I'll show it to you."

He bites his thump, and I see a small drop of blood appear. The man makes quick hand signs, and then slams his hand into the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu…!" He yells out.

There's a puff of smoke, and before I know it, a cloud has consumed both the perverted sage and the 4th Hokage. The cloud quickly clears, and I see Jiraiya now sits with his legs crossed atop a red frog with green spots that's as tall as I am with it on all four legs. The 4th stands behind him, an even expression on his face and barely visible beyond the toad and hermit combination in front of me. The old man looks down at me, his head only a few scant inches from the ceiling.

"Believe me now?" Jiraiya asks. "I'm the one who taught Minato how to summon toads, as well as most of the other ninjutsu he learned." Jiraiya explains.

The toad looks up at the old man, letting out a low ribbit.

"Hey Jiraiya, can I leave now…" The deep voiced toad says, sounding somewhat like a hit-man in a gangster movie.

The old man looks down at the toad, and then nods.

"Yeah, sure, tell your father I said hi."

"Right…" The toad mutters, and then disappears in a puff of smoke.

The old man lands on his feet with a light clack from his wooden shoes, crossing his arms and looking at me with a stern expression.

"Do you understand now?" He asks, and I nod.

"But, why would one of the Sannin return to the village?" I ask. "You three all left years ago…"

The old man looks back toward his student, a sly smile forming on his face.

"I happen to owe my old student a favor, and he called in that favor…" Jiraiya explains.

"What is this favor, and what does it have to do with me?" I ask, and then all at once, in a flash of premonition I think I know what the old man is about to say…

"You asked me what you could do to help against the Akatsuki, didn't you Hinata?" The 4th asks, and I turn to him and nod. "You can train under Jiraiya for the next month, learn everything you can from him, and in one month you'll become much more powerful then you are now…" He explains to me.

My first thought is of Kurenai-sensei, and why the sudden change.

"What about Kurenai-sensei?" I ask. "Why can't I train under her?"

"Kurenai is still your teacher, however during the next month you need to prepare as quickly as possible, and you can become much stronger under Jiraiya-sensei in one month then you can under Kurenai." Minato begins. "The three of you aren't a team of genin for this next month, and for her to train you would be showing favoritism, and even though neither Naruto or Shino would care, if someone else found out, they could use it as a means of protest should you win out in the tournament." He explains to me. "They'd cry that Kurenai showed special treatment to the 'demon child' and didn't bother training either Shino or Naruto. This way, there's no way any favoritism can be claimed, since the only people that know about this special training are Kurenai, and the three of us in this room."

"Oh…" I respond, feeling like a child for having asked now that I know the answer.

"Kurenai will be your leader and teacher, Chunin or otherwise, once the exams are done. However, until the end of the final round, you should think of Jiraiya as your interim teacher."

"Are you done with your questions?" Jiraiya asks, and I look to see him wearing an expression of annoyance on his face.

"Um…yes…" I respond, nodding my head.

"Now, follow me…" He says, and then walks out of the office.

The old man pushes the door open and turns left. I do a quick jog to catch up to him, seeing him move at a speed that belittles his years.

_He doesn't move like someone in their 50's, he must train a lot to stay at that level…_

The perverted old man leads me up to the roof of the building. He stops in the middle of the giant fire symbol painted on the roof, turning around to face me with his arms crossed.

"Now, let's begin your training…" He says, his voice showing that he doesn't really want to do this, like he's got an ulterior motive for training me, and THAT sets my internal alarms off.

"Why are you training me?" I ask bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest. "It's obvious you don't want to, so why bother?"

The old man grins, looking up like he's thinking about something…

"I'm training you so I can do research at the Konoha Hot springs without legal ramifications…" He mutters, looking every bit the perverted old man.

"Research, you mean peeking on the woman's bath!" I yell, pointing at the old man in anger. "You're only doing this so you can do something wrong and get away with it!"

The old man suddenly looks very serious.

"I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm merely examining woman as research for the characters in my books!" He retorts.

"What books…?" I demand.

I see him smile, reaching into his red robe. He grasps something there, and then withdraws a small orange book with what looks like a crudely drawn man chasing a woman. The title on the cover reads 'Make-Out Paradise.'

_Sounds like one of those Erotic books that Kakashi Hatake likes so much…_

"That isn't a book!" I scoff at him. "That's nothing more then pornography!"

Jiraiya gains a sudden look of offense.

"I'll have you know young lady that THIS IS ART!" He retorts, holding the book cover in my face. "This book is my best seller, and everyone I've spoken to that's read it has said it's one of the best books they've ever read!"

"You've only talked to a bunch of perverts then…" I mutter, turning my face away from him.

I hear the old man sigh, and the gentle sound of him returning the book to his robe.

"Whatever, I'm not here to debate the finer things in life with a kid who doesn't understand them…" Jiraiya begins. "Shadow clone jutsu…!"

I hear the POP of the shadow clone come into existence, and my head spins around, seeing 2 exact copies of the perverted old man, both of them forming the sign of the ram…

_Oh great, 2 of him now?_

"What are you doing?" I demand, and the old man grins.

"I want you to spar with my shadow clone." He informs me. "Minato says you've made great physical improvements, and you've got the Kyuubi's chakra to draw on, so I want to know just how strong you are."

"Grandmother already fully instructed me in all the secrets of the Gentle Fist, I don't need further taijutsu training."

The toad sage raises an eyebrow.

"You think so, all right then…" He begins, sounding as though he's starting to make a proposition. "If you can defeat my shadow clone without it laying a single finger on you, I'll admit that you don't require any taijutsu training, and I'll focus on your other training."

"Deal…" I say eagerly, assuming a gentle fist stance.

The clone comes after me, and with my eyes I'm able to predict his initial movement from the movements of his muscles. I avoid his right finger curled palm thrust, retaliating with a straight palm thrust toward his kidneys. The older man easily moves and allows my blow to slip by, landing a hard chop straight to my neck. The blow is enough to knock me off of my feet, though I stop myself before I fall flat on my face, landing on my hands and knees.

The real Jiraiya shakes his head, making a 'tsk, tsk, tsk…' noise with his tongue.

"Is that all you have?" He asks, and I shake my head.

_I've seriously underestimated him. Up until now, I've only thought of him as a perverted old man that likes to peek on woman in the bath, and I've never once thought of him as what he is, one of the Sannin, the legendary three shinobi of Konoha…_

Even though it's only a shadow clone, I can only assume that the clone is at least half as strong as the original, if not just as strong as the original.

The shadow clone and the real Jiraiya watch me stand up, and I don't get the chill I felt from him earlier. The look in his eyes now is the extremely serious expression of a ninja, not the perverted gaze of an old man.

I reach for the black band around my right wrist, grabbing at the chakra enhanced wrist weight, and shucking the weight off of my arm. I perform the same action on my other arm, and then remove both of the legs weights. Once the last of the weights are removed, I feel incredibly light…

"May I have another chance?" I ask, and the old man nods.

"I assume you're ready now?" He asks, and I nod.

The old man nods, and the clone comes for me. He uses a knife hand chop aimed for my head, and I block it with my left forearm. I feel the impact in his blow, a serious attempt to try and hurt me. I throw his large arm off of my arm, and drive my right palm straight into his chest, aiming for the mass of tenketsu centered on the heart. The chakra in blow enters his body and devastates the tenketsu and vital organ under my aim. The clone disappears in a puff of smoke, and the older man crosses his arms over his chest.

"Have you been learning to use the 'Fist of the Flash'?" Jiraiya asks.

I turn to face him and deactivate my Byakugan. The look I give the older man shows my questioning.

"What is the 'Fist of the Flash'?" I ask.

The old man grins.

"It's a taijutsu style that Minato developed after the Kyuubi attack 12 years ago." Jiraiya explains. "The use of restraining weights is instrumental in learning the fighting style, so I was wondering if he was teaching you the style or not?"

I shake my head no.

"Other then the Gentle Fist, I haven't been taught any forms or fighting techniques." I explain to him.

He nods once.

"You can return the weights to your arms and legs now." He informs me.

I pick up the weights and return them to my limbs, feeling the weights take hold and return me to my 'normal' speed.

"Follow me…" Jiraiya says, taking off and heading toward the rooftops.

I quickly leap to follow him, and I'm forced to move quickly to keep pace with the older man, who moves with vigor of a man half his years…

_How can a man in his fifties move like he does?_

The man leads me through the village across the rooftops, and then out of the residential area of the village. He leads me into the wooded area of the village, and toward a river. His target appears to be a small clearing near the river, and he lands there with precision. Following him I land behind him, and he turns around to look at me with his arms crossed.

"Tell me, has Kurenai put you through the 'tree climbing' exercise on chakra control?" He asks, and I nod once.

"She made Naruto, Shino and I climb a tree together without using our hands when we were bound together." I explain.

"Good…" He says with a nod. "For now, I'll be teaching you to walk on water."

"Walk on water?" I ask aloud, and Jiraiya nods.

"Yes, the walk on water technique is an advanced version of the tree climbing technique that requires constant chakra distribution as well as constantly monitoring and adjusting the flow of chakra so you don't break the surface tension."

I look at him with a look of suspicion, as though the man is just trying to lead me on…

"You think I'm lying to you?" He asks. "I'll prove it to you."

He makes a quick sequence of hand signs, and then he strides out onto the water. The old man takes three steps out and then stands there, turning around and crossing his arms over his chest. I activate my Byakugan, looking to get as much insight as possible into the walking on water technique that Jiraiya is using…

I see him using his chakra, dispersing it on his feet and somehow maintaining surface tension with it. His feet slide against the water's surface, the chakra in his feet keeping him afloat, in spite of his considerable weight…

"You know, you're really lucky, you know that?" Jiraiya asks while I look at his feet. "With those eyes of yours, you can peek on people even while they're wearing clothes!"

The old man goes into what I'm beginning to think of as his 'perverted place' and starts acting like he's fondling an invisible woman. His hands move and his body wiggles. The entire time, his feet remain on the surface, not even kicking up a few stray droplets of water…

"I wish I was born a Hyuga…" The old man mutters in perverted glee.

I shake my head, looking away while my Byakugan deactivates.

"Being a Hyuga isn't everything it's cracked up to be…" I begin, and the older man nods.

"I've heard the rumors that seem to swirl around your family." He informs me. "About Hizashi and the expected take over plan, and it's because of that information that I agreed to train you." He continues. "You've had a lot forced on you during your life, and you've had to bear a burden your entire life that most adults can't even comprehend."

After he says that, I don't know what to say to him, until the older man clears his throat.

"Can you see with your Byakugan how I'm keeping my feet on the water?" He asks.

I nod, looking through my Byakugan, and I can see the way he's distributing his chakra on his feet. I can see the energy moving around his feet, keeping his feet above the water.

"You have to distribute the chakra over your feet, constantly adjusting the flow to maintain the surface tension."

I nod, and my older temporary teacher walks off of the water and toward me. He leaves the water without as much as a drop of water on his large form. He sits down near the river's edge, crossing his arms over his chest. He reaches into his red robe and withdraws a small collapsible fan, opening it to cool himself.

"Look kid, you need to learn to master this skill, not only will it help your chakra control, but it'll prove useful during missions." He explains to me.

I nod once, walking toward the water's edge when the old man speaks up again.

"You should take off your clothes…" He suggests.

I FEEL my face flush, and I turn around, my fist finding the top of his head with a loud BAM!

"OW!" He yells out, ducking his head down.

I can feel the vein on my forehead bulging in anger.

"I'm not getting naked for you, you dirty pervert!" I roar into his ear.

"You've got the wrong idea!" The old man protests when I draw my hand back to hit him again. "What I mean is, if you fall through, you'll get your clothes wet, and if you're only in your underwear, then you won't have a wet shirt and everything else too." He continues. "Besides, what makes you think I want to look at a 12 year old girl who hasn't even begun to fill out? …A few years from now…"

My hand finds his head again.

"Ow!" The old man yells again.

I turn and walk away, my breath coming out of my noise in an angry fume.

"I'll deal with having wet clothes…" I respond, my voice nearly seething.

"All right, just don't hit me again. For a kid, you sure hit hard…"

I smile inwardly, knowing that part of the reason he feels so much pain from my strike is the extra weight on my arm thanks to the training restraints. I walk up to the water's edge, the water gently flowing by in front of me.

_I have to concentrate. Allow my anger to flow from me and calm my mind. If I'm still angry at him for being a sick pervert, then I'll never be able to do this right…_

I use his example, trying to mimic what he did. My hands come together in a generic hand sign, and I focus my chakra on my feet. Once I feel the chakra concentrating on my feet, I lower my hands and step forward, trying to keep my mind calm and clear, forcing myself not to think about the perverted old man sitting 10 feet away. At first, I step out with only my left foot, allowing my foot to come to rest on the water's surface. In the beginning, my foot passes through the water, so I pull it up and then adjust the chakra, lowering my foot back to the surface. I constantly shift the chakra on my feet, looking for the right balance that will provide surface tension. After nearly a minute, I feel my foot hold on the surface of the water. I apply some of my weight, and then I apply the chakra in a similar fashion to my other foot. I step out onto the water, allowing my weight to transfer completely to my right foot, and I instantly feel my foot break the surface tension of the water, my body falling into the river with a loud splash.

Immediately, I feel the chill of the river water, my head coming up in the waist deep water. I get to my feet and walk out, my clothes now soaked and sticking to my body…

"I told you so…" Jiraiya says in a sing song tone, and I resist the urge to hit the man.

_He didn't do anything, and resorting to violence will only prove to others that you're more of a 'demon child' then anything…_

I make another hand sign, ready to try the exercise again, in spite of my soaking clothes and the chill I get from them.

_It's so different from the tree climbing exercise, that's what threw me. But that won't happen again…_

I try again, and at first, my foot does not remain on the surface of water. However, I adjust the flow and distribution, using the chakra to push my foot UP and out of the water toward the surface. A few moments later, I have the proper distribution and flow arranged. With that knowledge, I bring my other foot out onto the water, and in moments I'm walking on the water as though it were nothing. I turn and see my 'teacher' sitting on the water's edge, his legs crossed with a look of absolute boredom on his face.

"Good job…" Jiraiya mutters dryly while, fanning himself.

He gets up, walking to a nearby bush and uses a kunai knife to cut some branches from the bush. He arranges them in a small pile, and then makes several quick hand signs. Using a low power fire release technique, he ignites the branches and motions for me to sit down next to the fire. I nod, sitting down next to the flame and huddling close to the fire.

"I would've turned around while you trained you know…" He tells me dryly.

"You're a big pervert…" I mutter, thinking of the sick people that get their jollies on looking at kids when they haven't yet hit puberty naked. (You know who you are, damn lolicons…)

"You've got a few years before I try sneaking a peek at you, little girl…" He says, and I try to move closer to the fire.

I chafe my exposed arms, wishing that I could hang my clothes over the flame and dry off, but to do that would mean returning to the village and wasting several hours just for comfort…

"Jiraiya-sensei…" I begin, calling him 'teacher' for the first time since I've met him. "Did you know what my father was like?"

The man looks at me with a cautious expression on his face, raising a single eyebrow.

"Your father, you mean Hiashi?" He asks, and I nod.

"What did your grandmother tell you about him?"

"She didn't say anything about him…" I begin. "And whenever I asked, she would always tell me that there is no point in reminiscing about someone who is dead and gone."

The old man shakes his head slowly, as if in pity.

"I don't understand that logic…" He begins. "Memories of those precious to us who we've lost are often the most precious things people have."

I nod once, taking the nugget of wisdom from the older man.

"What about the Kyuubi?" I ask. "Where you present when the demon attacked the village?"

The old man nods once.

"Yes, I was in the village when it happened…" He responds. "It was like a force of nature that tore through the village, almost unstoppable with an evil chakra that I've never felt since." He continues. "The people of the village believed the demon was going to kill them and destroy the village, until Minato was ready to use the sealing technique that sealed the demon in you." He explains. "Your father wasn't very happy that he had to die, but he was only person nearby that was suitable that could perform the seal properly without worry of it not working."

For a long moment I just sit there, chafing my arms and trying to warm myself and at the same time let the heat from the fire dry my clothes. For a moment I stare into the flames, seeing them flicker and hearing the gentle pop of the wood in the flames…

Jiraiya clears his throat, and I look up to see the older man standing up straight, his arms now at his sides.

"I'll teach you a new technique, one that will be invaluable to you later on in life if you can master it."

_A new technique…?_

"What new technique?" I ask, and I see the man grin.

"I'll teach you to summon toads." He says simply.

_Toads, how to summon toads?_

"Don't you normally need to sign a summoning contract for something like that?" I ask, and the old man grins.

He grabs the scroll at his back and unfurls it well away from the fire. I see names and hand prints on the paper, written in what appears to be blood.

"I get my name from my mastery of these summoning toads. All you have to do to gain the ability to summon toads is sign your name in blood from one of your fingers, and then put your hand print on the scroll in whichever hand you're going to use to summon the toads."

I nod, standing up and walking away from the flame. I cut my finger and write my name on the paper, seeing the name before mine on the paper is 'Minato Namikaze.' I sign the contract and place my hand print in blood before pulling my hand away from the contract.

"If you manage to master the toads to same level I have, you'll surpass even me, Hinata." He says.

I nod once, forgetting the cold in my body.

_If I surpass someone praised as a Sannin, then I'll be able to succeed the clan and put an end to all this internal bickering…_

"This is the sign sequence you must use to summon the toads." He says.

He makes the sequence, and I watch him diligently.

"I want you to practice until this sequence of signs is second nature to you, understand?" He asks.

I nod, and he turns away, moving down river while I begin to work, putting my hands together and forming the sequence of signs. I do it once, looking to see him withdraw a telescope from somewhere in his robes, looking through it up the river. I force myself to look away, focusing on the sequence of signs, and performing the task assigned to me again and again…

_He may be a pervert, but he's also a powerful shinobi, and right now you need his teachings, so just deal with his eccentricities and make him pay for them later…_

"Old pervert…" I barely mutter, practicing the sequence of signs.

&

3 hours later, I breathe a sigh of relief, my hands aching from the constantly and repetitive motion of making the sequence again and again…

"I know the sequence of signs by heart. I think I'm ready for an actual summoning!" I declare to my teacher.

"Well, how about we go get some food, it's been a while, and we've been out training all morning." He suggests.

_We, who's we? I've been the one doing all the training while you've been doing nothing but stare at scantily clad women…_

"Fine…" I mutter reluctantly, not wanting to start an argument with the 50 year old man.

_The sooner we get this done, the quicker he'll go back to teaching me. _

He takes to the trees, and I follow the older man. He goes from branch to branch, heading toward the business area of the village. Following the old man, once again I wonder how a man in his fifties who grew up in a time of war can move like he does, without a limp or any real injuries…

_It just goes to show what level of a ninja he is. If he survived all of that, he HAS to be a strong ninja…_

He leads me to the business section of the village, eventually the two of us go to the streets a short distance before we arrive at our destination.

I follow him to a tea stand where the old man walks up to the stand, taking a seat at the street side stand. I walk up next to him, taking a seat next to him. Sitting there, I can't help but notice the respectful looks the people of the village give the 'Toad Sage.' Even though I sit next to him, I don't feel the glares of hatred from the people of the village, only a respectful air for the old man sitting next to me…

"Jiraiya-sama, it is an honor for you to grace us with your patronage!" I hear a female voice break into my ears.

I look to see an older woman with dark hair in a purple and white kimono behind the counter. Her hair is tied up with sticks, a light dusting of make up on her face. Her green eyes posses no anger or hatred in them, and out of the corner of my eye I see Jiraiya grin.

"And it's nice to see a pretty young woman in such a beautiful kimono…" He begins, and his voice drops to a whisper. "It would look even better on my bed chamber floor…"

The woman blushes deeply, and I nearly slam my fist on the old man's head. For a moment, there's a silence between the server and both of us, my mouth nearly hanging open in shock at what the old lecherous pervert just said…

"Well, what I can I get you?" She asks, and Jiraiya nods.

"I'll have some of the Jade Dragon…" Jiraiya places his order and the woman turns toward me.

"I'll have regular green tea, please…" I order, and the woman nods, taking down both orders.

"Coming right up…"

She disappears into the back of the stand, leaving Jiraiya and I alone together.

"So…you're really set on succeeding the Hyuga clan, aren't you?" Jiraiya asks, and I nod. "Can you tell me about the branch family system your clan uses? I understand that Hizashi wants to take over once your grandmother dies, but I really don't know much beyond that…"

"We use a system of branch families centered on the main family…" I begin my explanation. "When a Hyuga is born into a branch family, that child's ability is tested when they're five years old, and that's when they're tested. If they possess ability, they're marked with the curse seal and then when they become an adult, their family is arranged according to talent with the Byakugan. It isn't uncommon that families are rearranged because a child is more talented then the parent, and that is exactly how it is with Neji and Hizashi. Had Hizashi not saved me from the cloud ninja, his family wouldn't have been promoted until Neji assumed control." I continue. "However, the main family is different, and only the members of the main family know how to activate the curse seal that is branded on the branch family member's foreheads. That seal, along with the main family having several secret techniques that they don't allow the branch family to learn has caused friction between the main family and some of the branch families. However, not all of them possess the animosity that Neji and Hizashi possess toward the main family."

I stop talking there, and the older man seems to absorb all the information, and then he decides to speak.

"It's a miracle that a revolt hasn't already happened, considering the ratio of branch family member members against the number in the main house." He says.

I nod.

"I never really agreed with the current system, but I can't do anything about it until I become clan leader. Even then, it's possible that the village council won't let me try and change the clan. With the Uchiha gone, the Hyuga are considered a great asset to the village, and it's possible that the council won't let me do anything to the clan for fear of losing what power the clan has now." I begin. "I know the Byakugan is important, but I don't think that protecting its secret is worth nearly annihilating an entire main house…"

The old man sighs heavily.

"If you weren't an only child, you'd probably be dead already, you know that?" The man asks. "The Kyuubi ravaged the village, and damaged not only the Hyuga, but practically every other family as well."

I nod solemnly, my relatively happy mood spoiled by the grim reminder of the demon inside of me.

The old man looks at me a moment, and then opens his mouth again.

"What would you rather have; the respect of the people of the village, or the love of someone precious to you?"

"The latter…" I respond without hesitation.

The old man smiles and he reaches out, patting me on my shoulder.

"Naruto is really a lucky boy…" Jiraiya mutters and I force myself not to blush.

Before Jiraiya speaks again, the woman returns from the back, setting the cups in front of each of us. I look at the steaming green liquid a moment, the surface completely calm…

_Unlike me, I'm anything but calm. I'm worried about fighting my cousin, one of the people I care about is going enter a fight for his life against a psychotic monster, and I might end up having to fight my friends in the final round, if I were to ruin their chances at becoming Chunin…_

I cut the thought train off before I can follow it to its logical conclusion. I take the tea cup and raise it to my lips, hearing Jiraiya slurp lightly at his Jade Dragon tea. For a few minutes, I sit there and calmly enjoy the tea, collecting my thoughts and watching the perverted old man out of the corner of my eye. I see the old man's eyes flickering out to people that walk by, particularly the attractive women that walk by. I shake my head, not even wanting to bother trying to correct the old man's actions…

_He's old enough to be my father, and he's a MONSTER pervert…_

The thought of the old 'Toad Sage' being my father sends a chill down my spine, and I force myself not to think about it, reminding myself that my father's name was Hiashi, and he died 12 years ago the day I was born…

_And my mother, I don't know who she was. No one in the Hyuga clan knows who their parents are if one of their parents lacks the Byakugan. The Hyuga family wants to keep members of the clan unconcerned with those that don't have the Byakugan, and thus cannot be a part of the clan. Because of that, I have no idea who my biological mother is, although Grandmother made it sound as though Genetic records are kept in case a powerful child is born of a specific union, then that union would be encouraged, but the non Hyuga would never be allowed to be a part of their child's lives…_

I finish my tea, and I notice that Jiraiya is now paying more attention to the woman walking by then the tea in his cup…

"Well…let's head back…" Jiraiya suggests, and I nod.

I leave the money for my tea and Jiraiya does so as well. The two of us leave the tea house and head back toward the stream. I follow the old man, and once again I'm amazed at how quickly the old man can move, in spite of his age. He returns to the spot where we were training, and he stops in the large open area, turning around to face me when I land behind him.

"Now, I'll teach you on the proper method for summoning the toads."

"All right…" I begin.

"Do you know how a summoning jutsu works?" Jiraiya asks, and I shake my head.

"They told me at the academy, but I never really paid attention.

"All right, basically a summoning uses a blood sacrifice from the summoner to call an extra dimensional creature to our world for a short time. Depending on the amount of chakra the summoner can call a small creature the size of your head or a creature capable of leveling a ninja village."

"Wow…" I mutter, and the old man smiles.

"The versatility of this technique should never be underestimated." Jiraiya points out. "Now, use a kunai to draw some of your blood on the hand you signed the contract with, and then perform the hand signs for the toad summoning, and then channel as much chakra into the blood as you can when you slap your hand on the ground."

I nod, grabbing a kunai from my pouch. I cut my right thumb and then make the necessary sequence of hand signs. Quickly making the signs, I channel chakra into my hands, wanting to put as much energy into the technique as possible. Slamming my hand onto the ground, I funnel as much chakra into the summoning as I can.

I feel my chakra flow down my arm, as though the technique were actually sucking the chakra from me. I see the strange circle appear on the ground, and then there's a loud BOOM, and a cloud of smoke erupts from my hand's contact point on the ground. Suddenly I feel myself PUSHED up into the air, and I look down to see my legs midway up to my shins covered in smoke. The giant cloud conceals what I can only assume is a giant toad. I look down to see Jiraiya with a look of surprise on his face, and then the old man takes off, moving like a blur through the trees, AWAY from where I am…

_Where is he going?_

The smoke beneath me clears, and the giant toad is red, with a scar running over its left eye. The toad also has a giant knife at it's lower back above it's hind legs, with a black robe on it's body, a giant red circle with the Kanji for 'Toad' on it. An old fashioned pipe rests in the toad's mouth. Standing there on the giant toad's head, the toad lets out a low grumble.

"Hmm...?" I hear the toad mutter.

A giant tongue flies up, the pink appendage wrapping around my body and yanking me forward and down. The toad puffs on the pipe, looking at me with its yellow eyes.

"What's this…?" The toad mutters, holding me up, wrapped completely in its tongue.

"Um…" I mutter; looking at the giant toad as it stares at me.

"Who are you?" The giant toad asks.

"I'm Hinata Hyuga, heir to the main family of the Hyuga clan…"

"HYUGA CLAN…!?" The giant toad roars, his breath smelling like a million dead flies, my hair blowing back at his shout.

"Um, yes…" I mutter, not knowing what to say.

The toad's eyes narrow at me.

"So, you think that I'll just bow down to you because you're a part of a worthless shinobi clan?" It asks, and I shake my head no like a little child who doesn't want to eat her peas.

"No, I don't think you should bow down to me, and I don't want you to bow…"

The toad lets out a low 'hmm' again.

"Do you expect me to believe that a worthless pupil-less little brat managed to summon me?" He asks.

"Um, I did summon you, but I don't know exactly who you are…"

"I'm GAMABUNTA YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The Toad roars.

Again my hair flies back, and I grimace at the stench coming from the toad's mouth.

"Now, where's that pervert Jiraiya, I'm sure it was him who summoned me…" He mutters, looking left and right.

"But, Gamabunta-sama, I'm the one who summoned you…"

The toad's left eye looks at me, a strange quizzical expression in the yellow orb.

"You really think you summoned me, don't you?" He asks.

"I have the Kyuubi No Kitsune is sealed inside of me, what makes you think I can't summon you?" I scream out, closing my eyes during the scream.

"Hmm, the Kyuubi…?" Gamabunta mutters.

I open my eyes and look into the yellow orb, keeping my gaze stern and trying to put confidence into my eyes that I really don't feel.

"Look into my eyes; do you see the red tint?" I ask. "It's because of the Kyuubi that my eyes look like this!"

"I see…" Gamabunta mutters.

The toad lowers me to the ground, his tongue unwrapping around me and releasing my arms.

"So, you're the one who that monster was sealed into? And you're still alive?" The toad asks with familiarity in his voice.

_This toad, does it know something about the Kyuubi?_

"Do you know something about the Kyuubi, Gamabunta-sama?" I ask, intentionally tacking on the respectful honorific.

"Yes, the 4th Hokage summoned me during the battle against the Kyuubi; he stood on my head while he was ready to perform the seal that bound the Kyuubi to your newborn body." He informs me. "However, one of the demon's tails flailed toward my head, and I ducked. Unfortunately the Fourth was hit by the tail, and knocked from my head. Then, Hiashi reluctantly stepped forward, and took the 4th's place on my head."

"You met my father?" I ask.

The old looking toad nods.

"He was the most arrogant bastard I've ever met, and he only took the place of sacrifice because he didn't want the village destroyed, and he hoped that his newly born daughter would grow up to become a powerful heir to the clan, his mother the only one left to guide her…"

"I see…" I mutter, looking down at the ground. "Thank you, Gamabunta-sama…"

"Hmph…" The toad begins. "You show me the proper respect, brat…"

Then, I feel the world begin to shift, and suddenly I feel very tired, looking up at the large toad…

_I must've used too much chakra…_

&

The next thing I know, I feel softness beneath me. I open my eyes to the sound of birds chirping, and I look around the room to see that I'm in a hospital room with the window open. Sunlight gently shines into the room, and on the desk beneath the window I see a large arrangement of flowers sitting there in a purple vase. Red roses rest there and I feel my cheeks flush when I see the card beneath the vase. Feeling better, I sit up and get out of the bed, now wearing a full body hospital gown. I walk to the desk and open the card, feeling my cheeks flush when I take in the contents of the card.

"Hinata, I hope you feel better, Naruto…" I read the card aloud.

I sniff the roses, the sweet scent of the flowers wafting into my nostrils, and I feel myself flush again.

_Red roses mean true love, he has to know that, and I don't think Kushina-sama would let him give me red roses without telling him what they mean…_

Looking at the roses sitting there, I can tell that they haven't been there for long, a day or less, no more…

_He must've dropped them off here during his training. Wait, how long has it been since I passed out during Jiraiya-sensei's training?_

The door to my room opens, and I turn to see Kushina Namikaze enter the room holding a vase of daffodils. She wears civilian clothes, with a red sleeveless button down blouse and a light yellow dress. On her feet she wears red loafers, and around her neck she wears a red flame pendent.

"Ah, Hinata-chan…" She says, holding the vase in front of her and closing the door behind her.

"Kushina-sama…" I respond, only to see the woman walk forward and set the vase down on the desk next to the vase of roses.

"Do you like Naruto's gift?" She asks with a smile. "When he found out you were in the hospital, he immediately went out and spent some of his mission earnings on a vase of flowers, and he even asked me what all the different kinds mean…"

My face, at that point had managed to return to some semblance of normal color. However, at her statement, my once pink cheeks turn red again…

"You mean…"

I see the red haired woman smile.

"He knew full well, and he insisted on taking a break from his training with Mini-kun to come and see you. Even now, Mini-kun tells me that Naruto's concentration on their training is obviously distracted."

"Um, how long have I been unconscious?" I ask.

"Almost 3 days…" She says, standing in front of me with a smile on her face.

"I need to get going…" I mutter, finding my clothes folded neatly in a basket next to my bed.

"Um, are you sure that you should be out training?" Kushina asks.

I nod, picking up the basket and changing my clothes. I get dressed quickly, and the entire time Kushina watches me, a look of concern on her face.

"I know your time before the final round is short, but you shouldn't push yourself, Hinata-chan…"

I shake my head, finishing getting dressed and then looking toward the red haired woman.

"I'm fine Kushina-sama, honestly." I tell the woman.

Once I'm dressed, I grab a vase in each hand, ready to try and leave the room when the door opens, and a woman in a nurse's outfit enters into the room.

"Hinata-chan…?" The nurse asks.

"I'm fine, I'll be checking out now." I explain.

The nurse looks at me, and I see disbelief in her eyes.

"I'll vouch for the girl's condition…" Kushina says, and the nurse looks toward her.

"Kushina-sama, you cannot expect me to just allow this girl to leave the hospital without any sort of tests…"

"I presume you don't want my husband involved with this situation, do you?" Kushina asks, and the nurse shakes her head.

The nurse steps aside, and I take my leave of the hospital room. I leave the hospital itself and head back toward the Hyuga mansion.

&

Over the next 5 days, I train in the Hyuga dojo, working with the seals active to keep the secret techniques secret. I go over the forms again and again, practicing the maneuvers over and over again, trying to master the techniques that grandmother taught me before the start of the second phase of the Chunin exam. The entire time I don't leave the Hyuga manor, working in the dojo for most of my waking hours, that is until the 6th day, when I awake to the sound of a servant's voice entering my room.

"Hinata-sama, you have 2 guests waiting for you outside." The servant's voice floats through the door.

Lying on my bed, I speak an affirmative through the door. It's incredibly early in the morning, and while I've been awake for nearly an hour, I can't think of anyone in the world that would be up and ready to visit someone at 7 am…

_The last time I had visitors was when Naruto and his family showed up to have breakfast with me. While I don't think it's them, I don't know who it could be?_

I know that Kurenai-sensei is busy with work, a Jounin never having the time to just sit around and wait, and with her three charges off duty until the exams are over, she's out doing missions. I know that Shino is busy in training with his father, and from what Kushina told me at the hospital, Naruto is working with his dad to further increase his strength.

_And what have I been doing? I've been drinking tea with an old pervert while he teaches me to walk on water and summon toads. What am I EVER gonna need the ability to summon a giant toad for? Other then running into a giant fly nest, I doubt I'll ever need the ability. I don't even know why that old pervert bothered to teach me that ninjutsu. What I should've been doing is what I've been doing these last 5 days, working on mastering the Gentle Fist techniques my grandmother taught me, improving my skills to the level required so I can perform them properly, like grandmother. _

Unfortunately, with the coming of the Chunin exams and the business of the clan, grandmother has been extremely busy during the week since the end of the second exam. I've hardly spoken to her at all, and I haven't seen either Neji or his father, though the business of the branch families are hardly my concern.

_Right now I'm nothing more then an heir, my grandmother is still leader of the clan, and you've got guests waiting for you outside. What are you doing just lying here and making them wait for you? If you keep this up, whoever it is will think that you're just as arrogant and stuck up as everyone else in your family…_

I shake my head, and then quickly get dressed. I choose to once again wear only the dark shirt and light blue pants, forsaking the tan jacket which now hangs in my closet. Once my weapon pouch is at its place and my headband around my neck, I leave my room and walk toward the front gate.

While it would've been child's play to see who it was that has come to see me with my Byakugan, I don't bother to think about it before I open the door, and find myself greeted with a sea of green…

"AH, Hinata-chan…!" The older male voice booms from outside the mansion.

Standing in the doorway, I see both Maito Gai and Rock Lee standing in the doorway. Lee stands with his arms at his sides, his back straight and his palms flat against his hips. His body is rigid, like a soldier standing at attention. Gai, on the other hand stands in a relaxed posture, his left arm bent at the elbow, his fingers forming a circle over his left eye, his right arm in the air, the man striking one of his infamous poses…

"Hinata-chan…" Lee begins in greeting, and judging from his voice, the boy sounds embarrassed…

_Rock Lee, the infamous nutcase student of Maito Gai embarrassed when he dressed the way he does? You're reading too heavily into things…_

Looking at the two of them, I can see a light perspiration on Lee's body, as though the boy has been training recently…

_But, it's already 7 am, and he doesn't look like he hasn't slept…_

"Hinata-chan, I have heard that you have ended your training with Jiraiya-sama…" Gai begins, and I nod.

"That's right…" I begin.

"Tell me…" He begins with a strange questioning tone to his voice. "Do you feel that you're prepared to fight my Neji?" He asks, not a hint of pride when he says 'my Neji.'

I shake my head no.

"Jiraiya really didn't teach me anything…" I begin. "I mean, he did teach me something, but I don't think what he taught me is going to help me during my match with Neji…"

"Hmm…" The older man says, his right hand on his chin, nodding once. "Would you like to train with Lee?" Gai asks after a long pause.

I raise my eyebrows.

"But, Lee didn't make it past the second round of the exams, and Neji…" I begin, only for Gai to cut me off.

"Nonsense…!" The old man yells out loudly. "The day a shinobi stops training is the day he dies! And besides, Lee has to train twice as hard as other normal shinobi, because Lee is a student of hard work!"

_Student of hard work…?_

"Wha…?" I mutter in questioning.

I see Gai grin.

"You see, Lee was born with an abnormality, and he was told that he would never be able to use genjutsu or ninjutsu, and yet he still desired to be a shinobi. Even though he worked and worked and worked, he never could manage to perform a single ninjutsu or genjutsu. However, once he graduated from the academy, he was assigned to me, and I focused all of his efforts into taijutsu, the one shinobi art he can use. Now, he's a ninja capable of fighting even the strongest shinobi hand to hand, though his life's goal has been to defeat Neji, and prove his worth as a shinobi." Gai finishes.

"Why Neji…?" I ask as soon as I think it.

"Neji was the top student of my graduating class, as Naruto-kun was of yours…" Lee begins. "Ever since we have been assigned together, Neji has always spoken down to me, and I've been unable to defeat him in a match…"

"That's when Lee and I heard of you training on your own, Lee suggested that we offer our assistance with your training regimen." Gai picks up. "I train Lee as I train myself, at a pace that most normal shinobi cannot keep up pace with, and we train constantly whenever we're in Konoha." Gai continues. "If you would like, you can accompany us during our training sessions, and be Lee's sparring partner." He pauses. "Your assistance in this way will help Lee to learn to fight against someone adapt at the Gentle Fist, and maybe you would consider helping Lee with any advice you can offer on how to trump the Hyuga style…" Gai finishes, adding the last part on almost as an afterthought…

_He wants me to help me, but he's trying to tell me that I'll be helping Lee just by sparring with him and training with him. _

"All right…" I begin, nodding my head. "I accept your invitation…"

Lee jumps up into the air, yelling out a loud yell of happiness, and I see Gai smile at his prize student, the older boy land on his feet, and Gai's hand resting on Lee's shoulder.

"We should get going Lee…" Gai suggests, and Lee nods. "After all she saved your life in the preliminaries; the least you can do to repay that debt is assist in her training…" Gai says with a grin.

Lee nods, and the two of them take off before I can open my mouth to protest. I shake my head slowly, taking off after them while the two green clad shinobi move through the trees. Once I manage to catch up to them, I can only think about what Gai said before we left the Hyuga home, his words repeating in my head…

_He's doing this because he feels Lee owes me a debt for what I did back then, but he doesn't. I only did what I did because I don't want to see anyone hurt by that lunatic Gaara…_

I follow the two of them, trying not to think about their motivations for what they're doing, and telling myself that I'll bring it up once we arrive at our destination…

&

Lee and Gai lead me toward a training ground in the middle of the forest, with a well used wooden sparring dummy near one end of the training ground. Lee and Gai land in the middle of the training ground, and I follow them. Once there, Gai turns to face me, with Lee mimicking his motion.

"Now then…" Gai begins, but I cut him off.

"Before we begin, I just want to say that you don't owe me anything Lee." I tell him. "I didn't do what I did thinking you had to repay me…"

Gai smiles that eerie smile.

"Nonsense…" The man begins again. "You acted when I did not, and you saved my precious student from being crippled. I want to thank you for what you did, and Lee wants to do so as well!" Gai yells, slapping his prize student on his back.

The older boy barely stumbles and then nods, and I swear I can see a slight flush to his face…

_Is he blushing?_

"Thank you, Hinata-chan!" Lee says with enthusiasm, bowing to me.

I shake my head.

"Don't worry about it, and consider us even with this training." I tell the boy.

He nods once, and then Gai clears his throat.

"Well, to start off, I'd like to see your forms, if you can show them to me." Gai says. "I am one of the village's foremost taijutsu experts, and while I have no intention of trying to re-teach you taijutsu, I do feel as though I may be able to help you, and I will keep whatever I see in the strictest confidence." Gai says, and I nod, the last part a relief to me.

"Thank you…" I say, bowing to the man.

I don't bother activating the Byakugan before I drop into the Gentle Fist stance and begin going through the forms. Gai watches me go through the Gentle Fist forms that my grandmother taught me with some recognition in his eyes, while Lee watches even more intently, his eyes nearly boring into me…

I go through the entirety of the motions, and every now and then Gai will nod and mumble something while Lee looks on. Once I'm finished going through the forms, Gai nods once.

"Would you go through them again, Hinata-chan…?" Gai asks, and I nod once.

I begin to go through the motions again, but this time the older man adds his comments, showing me why it would be better to reposition my legs, change my footwork, or strike in a different manner. Nearly 3 hours go by, and I listen to the older man intently, his advice making sense and I can't see any flaw in the changes he suggests…

_To think the Hyuga clan has been stagnating like we have, keeping our secrets like a paranoid bunch of morons, when if we just bothered to go outside the clan, we can find people who are willing to help us…_

Once he's done giving suggestions, Gai grins.

"Now, would you spar against Lee?" Gai asks. "That way, I can get a good gauge for your level of taijutsu."

I nod.

"All right…" I begin.

Lee stands across from me and assumes his Strong Fist stance, while I activate my Byakugan and go into the Gentle Fist stance. Gai motions for us to begin, and the green clad genin comes after me. His blows are hard and fast, and I know he's wearing weights like I am. Even though he wears his weights, I fight to keep my weights on and at their current weight, resisting the urge to remove them so I can move quicker and make sparring against the green genin that much easier…

Instead, I keep my weights on and I work to repel his blows, the boy's stamina a testament to the training schedule he keeps….

&

I spar against the older boy for 3 hours before Gai calls a stop, my lungs hot and sweat covering my body. Lee appears to be in a similar shape, his hands on his knees and his chest heaving beneath the green tunic he wears.

"Now…we'll run a cool down lap around Konoha!" Gai yells, and my mouth nearly hits the ground.

_Are you serious?_

Before I can ask, Lee gives an enthusiastic assent, and both he and Gai begin to run. I shake my head, coming to a singular conclusion that insanity is definitely a contagious disease, and Maito Gai has an extreme case of it…

I don't know whether it's the Kyuubi's presence in my body or my own developing stamina, but somehow I manage to keep pace with them while the two green shinobi run around the village. With the hour and a half run over, I find myself back at the training ground.

"Head home for the day, Hinata…" Gai says. "You've done well for your first day, and we'll continue these training sessions until the final round of the Chunin exams…

_Oh, what did I get myself into?_

Without a word I nod and leave the training ground. I walk back to the Hyuga home and basically crash. I barely manage to take a shower and then crawl into bed, having never been run more ragged by anything in my life…

&

The insanity inducing training sessions continue over the next 3 weeks, and with 2 days left before the final round, Gai shows up at the Hyuga home early and tells me to rest for the next 2 days, saying that my body will need to recover and recuperate from the extensive training I've undergone. I nod, and the older man wishes me luck before he leaves the Hyuga doorstep. That entire day, I stay in my room, and even though the fox has recovered my physical wounds, I'm still exhausted from the constant training with Rock Lee and Maito Gai…

&

The day before the final round of the Chunin exams, I awake to the sound of a servant's voice coming through my door.

"Hinata-sama, you have another guest at the front door…" The servant informs me.

I look to the clock, and I see it's far too late for it to be either Gai or Lee. I sigh heavily, sitting up and stretching.

"I'll be there in a moment…" I inform the servant, who walks away with barely audible thuds against the floor.

I go through my morning routine, and once I'm dressed in my now normal uniform of a black shirt and dark blue pants, I put on my weapon pouch and my headband. I run a brush through my hair, and once I'm presentable I leave my room and walk to my front door. Once at the door, I see Shino standing at the front door, wearing his usual gray trench coat and brown pants with blue shoes.

The Aburame has his hands in his pockets, and he looks…stockier then before. Even through the trench coat I can tell that he's been working out, and the results of his training with his father are apparent…

"Shino…what are you doing here?" I ask.

The Aburame pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"My father has given me this day as a day of rest, and I thought it would be a prudent idea to check on my teammates." He says. "I have already been to see Naruto, who is still busy training with Hokage-sama."

At his words, I feel a tendril of dread creep into me…

_He's still training? Could it be that he's had problems with what his father has wanted to teach him, and he needs the extra day?_

"However, Kushina-sama assured me that our teammate's preparations will be complete upon the commencement of the final round of the Chunin exams." Shino finishes and I nod once.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of training, and I'm taking the day to rest as well…" I inform my teammate.

"I see…" He begins. "As such, would you consider joining me on a walk around the village?" He asks. "It would be a relaxing excursion…"

I nod once.

"I'd like that…" I respond.

Though I have no romantic feelings for the Aburame, I do enjoy being around him in a different manner then I do with Naruto. Though I don't have any thing to compare it to, I believe Shino's company is similar to an old friend, someone that I could share a drink with at a bar, when we're old enough of course…

The two of us start walking through the village, and it doesn't take long for the Aburame to begin to speak.

"How has your training progressed?" He asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

"I spent a short amount of time with Jiraiya, the 'Toad Sage' but the old man hardly taught me anything." I explain to him.

"Training from such a well known shinobi must have some benefits…" He suggests, and I wave my hand.

"What he taught me isn't going to help me in my upcoming fight against Neji, although what Maito Gai taught me will do a lot in my match…"

"Maito Gai, Neji-san's sensei?" Shino asks, and I nod.

"He offered to train me as some sort of repayment for what I did for Lee." I explain, shrugging my shoulders.

"Such a thing is uncommon at best…" He retorts, and I nod.

"I can only assume that Gai wants me to beat Neji so that Neji will lose his arrogance, and learn his lesson about underestimating people." I begin. "What about you, how's your training been going?" I ask.

"My father had me working with both of my colonies, increasing my synchronization with them as well as learning to reduce my overt signs of their use." Shino explains. "He's also been working with me on my taijutsu…"

I nod.

"You look stronger, Shino…" I begin. "I hope I don't have to fight you during the final round." I pause. "And, I'm worried about Naruto…"

The Aburame nods his head once.

"Of the three of us, Naruto has the strongest and most lethal opponent." Shino says calmly.

I breathe a heavy sigh.

"I wish I'd been the one to fight Gaara, instead of him…" I idly wish.

"Would you rather Naruto fight Neji, knowing that Neji possess such an animosity toward you?" Shino asks. "I wouldn't doubt that Neji wouldn't hesitate to kill Naruto if only to get to you, and cause you misery."

I shake my head.

"Neji's hatred is blind and misguided." I say simply.

He nods again.

"While I am hardly informed of the Hyuga hierarchy or the inner workings of your clan, his hatred of you without past incident is highly illogical."

A thought occurs to me while I walk with my teammate.

"I wonder if I should bother fighting him…" I wonder aloud, and Shino's questioning his obvious.

"Why would you forfeit your match against him?" Shino asks with his curiosity apparent in his tone.

"Well, he's supposed to be some sort of genius with the Gentle Fist, if I use one of the family's secret techniques to defeat him, it's possible he'll manage to learn to use it and then I'd be giving away the secrets, which is exactly what grandmother doesn't want…"

"The solution is simple…" Shino begins, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "You just need defeat him without resorting to a Gentle Fist technique."

I scoff lightly.

"That's much easier said then done, Shino…" I comment, and the boy shrugs his shoulders.

"You have the ability to defeat him Hinata, of that I am certain." Shino says, and I smile at my teammate.

"Thank you, Shino, I appreciate it…"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Demon and the Avenging Angel…

(Well, this is Chapter 14, I didn't get a real big reaction from 13, so I don't know if you people are just getting bored with my stuff or you just don't like the way this story is going. I don't know, my beta really liked this one, and I hope you guys do too, maybe I can break 200 reviews now.)

Chapter 14: The Demon and the Avenging Angel…

"Tell me Hinata…" Shino begins, standing next to me while the two of us stand on a small bridge spanning a petite river. "What is more important to you, the secrets of your family, or your life?"

"My life…" I begin. "But, I don't want to let grandmother down, and Neji-nii-san wouldn't hesitate to kill me…"

"Killing is against the rules during a selection exam…" Shino reminds me, and I shake my head.

"Neji-nii-san bears such hatred toward me that I don't think he'd care that much…"

"It is a shame that he bears you such extreme animosity…"

I shrug my shoulders while I lean on the hand rail of the bridge.

"The only thing I can do is beat him tomorrow. If I forfeit, I'll only make the main family look weak, and prove Neji-nii-san's point that I should be afraid of him…"

The Aburame gives me a curt nod.

"I wish you the best of luck, though you will not need it…" He begins. "Should we meet in a match, I will fight you honestly and fairly, and will not make an attempt on your life…"

"I will too, and thank you Shino…"

With that, the two of us begin to speak of other subjects; we talk about the other match ups, our mutual concern for Naruto and his upcoming match with Gaara of the Desert. After we spend nearly three hours together Shino and I say our good byes, and I can only assume the Aburame returns to his home to rest and relax on the last day before the start of the final round. If Shino has an anxiety over his match, or the impact of the coming matches, he hasn't shown it…

_Would you expect to him to show it if it did?_

I shake my head, still standing on top of the bridge, looking down at the small river.

_If he was nervous or anxious about his match tomorrow, I would think something is MAJORLY wrong with him. After all, I've hardly seen him emote much of anything other then slight displeasure or annoyance, and the only time I've ever seen him exert himself is when he fought Sasuke during the preliminary matches…_

Standing there, I think about the snake freak, and the mark that seemed to crawl on Sasuke's body right before Hatake Kakashi intervened, giving Shino the win. The image of the black seed like mark spread across his skin, with the Uchiha's infamous Sharingan appearing in his eyes is burnt into my memory.

_He used his kekkei genkai, and he emitted so much blood lust, like he wanted to suddenly kill Shino…_

I try to think about what happened, what details I can recall from the match, the precious few moments Sasuke stood there before Kakashi intervened…

_From what I can remember, it looked like he said something along the lines of 'I don't have a choice; I'll have to use it…' But what 'it' was he talking about? Could he have known about the mark, and known how to activate it, but was told not to? If he knew how to activate it, then why bother using it at all? It made him change so much, he wasn't anything like the pretty boy that all the girls in the academy vied for. No, rather he became more like that snake freak when he looked at the three of them during the second stage of the exam. That snake man created so much bloodlust when he just looked at them that even I felt a chill almost 120 meters away. Even though so much distance separated us, he was so chilling to just look at that he sent chills down my spine…_

_Could it be that Sasuke wants to be like that man? Why would he strive to be like that snake when he's already so well loved by everyone our age? He's an Uchiha and he's also one of the best shinobi of our generation, so why would he want to be so...evil?_

Thinking about it, I can't think about any other word that describes the sudden change Sasuke Uchiha underwent other then evil…

_The Uchiha clan was annihilated years ago when we were in our first years of the academy. After that happened, he changed, and he pushed himself to be better then everyone else. He wanted to be the best before, and rumor was that he was living in his brother's shadow. After the entire clan was annihilated and Itachi fled, he put his entire being into being the best. Now, he's off somewhere, doing who knows what to become stronger…_

I hear the gentle thumps of footsteps against wood, drawing my attention back to reality, and I look to see a familiar face walking up the bridge…

The last Uchiha walks up the bridge, his hands in the pockets of his white shorts, his forearms covered in the white forearm covers…

"Oh, it's you…" The Uchiha says.

Looking at him, he stops next to me and leans sideways against the railing, looking out over the small river like he's too important to be bothered with looking at me…

"You're on Naruto's team, aren't you?" He asks, not even bothering with a greeting.

I don't meet the Uchiha's look, looking out into the water.

"Yes, I am…" I respond, keeping my voice even and emotionless.

"Tell me, just how powerful do you think he is, is he stronger then you are?"

_He wants to know how strong Naruto is? Why would he want to know that?_

"Why do you want to know?" I ask. "You lost your match in the Chunin exams; you aren't fighting him in the final round." I remind him.

I see the last Uchiha in the village grimace, glaring down at the river with anger in his eyes.

"I am well aware I'm no longer in the Chunin exams…" He responds with a cold edge to his voice.

"Then why do you care about how strong Naruto is?" I ask again. "You won't be facing him in a match, and even if you did, you'd never be able to beat him."

It's then that his eyes shift to me, his eyes showing his interest.

"So, he's stronger then you are?"

I nod.

"Naruto has grown stronger and stronger with each passing day." I explain to the Uchiha. "He trains just as hard as I, and it was he that inspired me to begin training with these restraining weights."

"Restraining weights?" Sasuke asks, and I nod.

"He uses them as a means to learn to use a form of taijutsu, and I've been using them to help with my Gentle Fist…"

Sasuke scoffs, looking back out to the river.

"Against an Uchiha, such outdated training would mean nothing."

I shake my head at his arrogance.

"If you were to fight him, you would stand no chance against Naruto. I've seen him use powers that you can only fathom."

"I am Uchiha, I will defeat him and prove my clan's power, our worth…" He mutters, and I shake my head.

"Regardless of what you think, watch his match tomorrow, and you'll see that you're no match for him."

He nods once, still looking to the water's surface.

"I will be watching tomorrow, and I'll enjoy seeing the true power of the Hyuga put on display."

I shake my head, and then I walk away from the Uchiha boy. I look back to see him still standing there, his gaze locked on the river below the bridge, his right hand clenched into a fist. He looks up to the sky, and his dark eyes appear to be looking far away, as though he is remembering something from his past…

_He came home and saw his family and relatives murdered; I can't even imagine what he must've gone through that night…_

Walking back to the Hyuga home, I put thoughts of Sasuke Uchiha and whatever ambitions the boy has out of my mind, instead focusing on my upcoming match…

_I have to fight Neji-nii-san tomorrow, and he's going to more then likely try to kill me. I can't let that happen, if I die then Grandmother will have a heart attack, and the main family line will end with her, with Neji's father taking over. If I allow that to happen, then everything she's done for me over these last 12 years will be for nothing…_

I make my way to the Hyuga home, and once I'm there, I find myself walking back to the dojo, wanting to do some light exercise so I'm not just standing around all day before the final round of the Chunin exam…

_Tomorrow I fight Neji-nii-san; tomorrow I prove to the world that I am Hinata Hyuga, heir to the main branch of the Hyuga clan…Tomorrow…_

&

The next morning, I rose early and went through my normal morning routine. As much as I wanted to hurry, I forced myself to take my time and not think about Naruto or Shino and what they'll be facing this day…

Forgoing the jacket, I leave the Hyuga mansion with my headband around my neck, the dark blue t-shirt decorating my chest. On my legs, I wear a normal pair of blue pants with my weapon pouch on my right hip. I still wear my normal sandals though.

Walking toward the stadium, I can't help but feel anxious for Naruto. I wonder if the boy is already present at the arena, in spite of the fact that there is still over an hour before the final round begins.

_Will Naruto be there already? I hope he's all right, and I hope that Gaara person didn't try and do anything to him during the last month…_

Walking toward the arena, I try to keep my mind clear and my feet slow. With over an hour until the exams, I don't want to get there too early and risk someone attacking me before the matches begin…

_Though I doubt Neji-nii-san will attack me in private when he's so looking forward to publicly humiliating me…_

Ahead I see people filing into the arena like wild dogs scrabbling for a meal. As the arena comes into view, I get a clearer picture of the crowd, which makes me feel a pang of self pity…

_I actually care about what those people think about me and yet they act like a pack of wild dogs when the situation suits them…_

I take my time heading to the competitor waiting room. Walking into the room I see Shino waiting in the waiting room, and I walk toward him. Standing next to him, the Aburame gives me a simple curt nod as a greeting. I return it and then turn around, looking into the room and taking in everything around me…

I check my watch, seeing there are now only 10 minutes before the exams begin, and looking around I can see anxiety on some of the competitor's faces, while others bear no expression at all…

_Like this Gaara person, why is he always like that?_

I force myself not to look at him, though I can feel the bloodlust in his cold neutral expression. Looking at him, I can see the bags beneath his eyes, and for a moment, I wonder if the red haired sociopath ever sleeps…

_Maybe he's always so angry is because he can't sleep. Could it be possible his Bijuu keeps him awake?_

Having no experience with the Kyuubi to either confirm or deny the theory, I just shrug my shoulders and look away from the red haired genin.

Looking around the room, those genin that have teammates still involved in the exam have gravitated together. Shikamaru and Ino stand next to each other, though Ino stands with her arms behind her head, while Shikamaru sits against the wall, technically on his feet with his knees bent out, his thighs parallel to the ground. Both of the members of Team 10 have a somber air about them. Seeing the two of them standing there, I look around to the others assembled in the room. Sakura stands alone, a solemn expression on her face, her eyes averted toward the ground. Neji stands alone near a window, his eyes looking out the window toward the outside. The sand genin stand together, with Gaara between Temari and Kankuro. Gaara stands with his arms crossed, while both Temari and Kankuro appear worried, though I can't imagine about what.

_But Naruto isn't here, and there's only 10 minutes before the exam begins…_

"Have you heard anything about Naruto?" I ask Shino, and the boy shakes his head.

"Naruto has not arrived yet…" He says, and then I hear the black clad boy from the sand village speak up.

"If that blonde kid you're teamed with is smart he'll run and hide, rather then fight against Gaara."

I shake my head.

"Naruto would never run and hide!" I protest, and the puppet master shrugs.

"It's his funeral…" Kankuro says, and then walks back to rejoin his teammates.

I glance to Gaara, and I see pure unadulterated bloodlust in his eyes, the desire to kill radiating from within the amber orbs…

Looking around the room, I can't help but notice that other then our team, the only team to make it through the exams whole, is the sand genin team…

_Poor Sakura, she's all alone, and I wish Naruto was here…_

It's then that a Chunin pops his head into the waiting room.

"Five minutes until the final round begins." He informs us.

I check my watch, double checking the Chunin's statement, and I see that he is indeed telling the truth…

_It would kill me to think he did all that training and then didn't show up and got disqualified…_

I wait, watching the second hand on my watch. With each passing second I feel more and more dread at the beginning of the final round. I watch my watch click to 1 minute left, and then the door opens, and I feel relief wash over me in a wave.

Naruto strides into the room, wearing clothes completely different from anything I've ever seen him wear. He now wears a pair of black pants and a black jacket with orange detailing around the edges of the jacket, a rectangle of orange the size of my forearms on both sleeves. He still wears his headband on his forehead, and underneath the long sleeve jacket and pants I can only imagine he's wearing his weights. On each leg he now wears a weapon pouch.

I open my mouth to speak, but a Jounin wearing a bandana on his head with the symbol of the village on it against a metal plate walks into the room. The man wears the black uniform of a Jounin, and he has a Senbon needle in his teeth.

"It's time; everyone's waiting for you…" He says.

He leaves the doorway, leading the 10 of us out of the waiting room and toward the arena floor. Fortunately, Shino and Naruto, in his new clothes, flank me, so I don't have to worry about Neji attempting anything against me. The Jounin leads the 10 of us out into the arena proper, and sunlight fills my eyes for a split second before I blink my eyes and then look around, seeing people who are seated around the circular arena…

Walking into the arena along with the other genin participating in the Chunin exam, the spectators let out a roaring cheer. While the 10 Genin line up in front of the cheering spectators, I look to see my grandmother sitting in a nobleman's section in the arena, surrounded by other members of the clan whom she trusts…

Sitting apart from the other members of the clan, I see Hizashi surrounded by branch family members. The head of the branch families is no doubt present to watch his son humiliate me with his 'genius' abilities and show his superiority to the entirety of the world…

I scan the remainder of the arena, and I see Kurenai-sensei sitting next to Team 10's Jounin, Asuma…

_Well, they're a cute couple…_

Looking around, I see Kakashi Hatake sitting next to Kiba Inuzuka and the ever angry Sasuke Uchiha sitting on the end of the three of them. I see Choji sitting near Team 7, a bag of Potato chips in hand, his free hand moving between the bag and his mouth in a blur of motion…

My eyes drift to the platform sitting above the rest of the spectators, and I see several bodies on the platform, the current Kazekage and the Hokage sitting there. My eyes focus, and I see not only the Fourth Hokage, but his predecessor the Third as well…

_I wonder what the Third is doing up there as well? He's supposed to have retired and become an advisor to the Fourth…_

I have no more time to think on the subject of the Third Hokage before the bandana wearing Jounin turns around, his eyes going from one end of the assembled genin to the other.

"You should all enjoy this time, right now this is all about you and what you're about to do." He begins. "That said, Neji Hyuga, Hinata Hyuga, you two will remain here, the rest of you will report to the rafters and wait until your respective matches." He continues. "The rules are basically the same as the preliminary tournament, there are basically no rules, but I'll stop a match if the winner is obvious. Also, any jutsu that may take the arena down should not be used…"

With that the majority of the assembled genin begin to move, but before they leave, both Naruto and Shino remain next to me a moment.

"Kick his ass Hinata, show him the true power of the Hyuga." Naruto says, touching my shoulder a moment and giving me a grin.

He walks away without another word, and Shino remains, looking at me from behind his dark sunglasses with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"I will enjoy the proceedings…" He says simply, and then walks away.

_Does he always have to be so enigmatic, or is it just me?_

The remainder of the genin in the arena leave the arena save for Neji and me. When Shino walks past Neji, I hear my teammate whisper to my opponent…

"I wish you luck, you will need it…" The Aburame says simply.

Neji's face remains emotionless, though I can imagine that he's angry at my teammate's comment. The older boy looks at me with a smirk on his face, his eyes showing the anticipation he feels.

I face him down on an even level, keeping my face neutral, I act like I should act, like a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf…

The bandana wearing shinobi looks at Neji and me.

"Do either of you have any objections to this match?" He asks.

I shake my head, and Neji does so as well. He opens his mouth to begin the match, but Neji speaks up before he can begin the match proper.

"Winning this match is an impossible feat for you, Hinata." He begins. "It is my destiny to win and surpass the main family." He continues. "The last month that you've spent training has been a futile waste of time, your loss was determined the second you drew your lot against me." He continues. "However, I do not wish for you to activate the seal on my forehead in an attempt to defy your destiny, should you activate my seal so you can claim victory, you will never make Chunin." He finishes.

I nod once.

"I never thought to activate your seal, Neji-nii-san…" I begin. "Because if I used it, you would never learn the error of your ways, and you would never see just how blind you are…"

With my words, anger flares into his eyes, the veins around his eyes bulging with the activation of his Byakugan.

_For a Hyuga to be called blind is the greatest insult our clan so prided on our eyesight…_

"I will not hesitate to kill you if you do not forfeit now, Hinata…" He says, the fury in voice is barely contained, and his not using an honorific shows his contempt.

I drop into a gentle fist stance, activating my own Byakugan and preparing to defend myself. Neji smirks and he assumes a stance identical to mine.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, Hinata…" He finishes.

The Jounin waves his hand, and then jumps back, yelling out the word 'BEGIN' as loud as he can. With the Jounin out of the way, Neji charges for me, running toward me with bloodlust in his eyes. Keeping my stance neutral, I allow Neji to attack me. Using my Byakugan and my knowledge of the family fighting style, I read his movements like an open book. He thrusts his right palm forward, a gentle fist blow meant to strike a tenketsu, and I slap his arm at the forearm, knocking his arm away. He uses his other hand, and I move, keeping my movements a stark counter to his. The two of us move like we're dancing, his blue chakra and my blue red chakra come off of the two of us in waves. With each thrown blow, the crowd cheers and we counter each other for 5 minutes, and then I adjust my stance. I parry Neji's palm thrust and then ram my right foot straight into Neji's chest. Neji reels backward, the weight on my leg sends him reeling backward. His feet slide against the ground for 8 feet. He glares at me with his Byakugan.

"So, you've been listening to that fool teammate of mine…" Neji mutters.

"That fool is infinitely wiser then you are…" I respond, and Neji drops into a gentle fist stance.

Neji charges me, throwing a palm thrust aimed at my forehead. I duck down, allowing his blow to pass harmlessly over my head. My right arm shoots out in a palm strike. Neji shifts his leg, and my strike impacts his thigh, missing the tenketsu. He grimaces from the strike, the gentle fist blow damaging the muscle and barely damaging the chakra coil in his leg. He kicks his leg up, and I hop backward, barely avoiding the quick upward kick. I land on my feet with his leg fully extended and pointed into the air. He glares at me with malice in his eyes, pure unadulterated anger filling his eyes.

"You got a lucky shot; you won't get it again…" He says.

Without a word I reach for my wrists, peeling back the bands and releasing the catches on the weights. The weights slip off my wrists and fall to the ground with a loud thud, and Neji watches me while I remove the leg weights, actually taking them off of my legs and setting them down near the fallen wrist weights.

While Neji still stands in a gentle fist stance, he wears an expression of pure boredom on his face.

"Do you really think those pitiful tricks will help you in your vain attempt to fight against your destiny?" He asks. "I am destined to trump the main family, and you are destined to lose, to reveal to everyone present the festering weakness that is the current main family…"

I shake my head, returning to my gentle fist stance.

"Are you so blind to the truth that you'll lie even to yourself?"

"I will not allow myself to lose; I will kill you and save Natsume…"

_Natsume…?_

"Who are you talking about?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

"Natsume is the name of my 5 year old sister who has yet to be branded with this accursed seal." He begins. "Once I kill you, Natsume will become of the new main family without the curse mark, and I WILL NOT allow you to stop that!"

_His younger sister…_

This time, there is no melee, no exchange of blows between us. Neji flips forward and drives his heel toward me. I catch his foot on the forward spin, and he moves to use his other foot, when I take a page from Shino's handbook. I throw Neji over my head using my left hand. He flies toward the trees, and thanks to my Byakugan I see him flip in the air and he lands on his feet. He grabs 3 kunai from his pouch and palms them into his right hand. Using a backhand motion he throws the three knives with deadly accuracy. I grab a knife from my pouch and I spin around, timing the spin to deflect his three knives with my knife, the weapons clanging when the metal impacts metal. He runs, following the path his kunai traveled in the air, trying to use the weapons to create an opening that he can take advantage of to hit me with a gentle fist blow. I use my knife hand to swipe at him with a backhand blow. He shifts to his left, dodging the knife blade and putting himself within striking range. He shoots his right hand out toward my forehead, chakra filling his hand making it a killing blow. I take the shot to my forehead, and I feel his palm impact my forehead. I feel his chakra trying to push its way into my skull and obliterate my brain. His eyes go wide, his lips muttering the word 'what' before my right hand flies out, slamming into his chest in a full power gentle fist blow, chakra coming off of the blow in a circular wave. Neji groans in pain, and I watch him stumble away, falling to one knee and breathing heavily. He raises his face, the veins around his eyes bulging thanks to his Byakugan, and I can see him staring at me, trying to analyze what he just saw…

"How did you survive my attack?" He demands from me. "My blow should've killed you…"

I retract my arm and reassume a gentle fist stance, keeping my guard up in spite of his sudden desire for information.

"How truly blind are you that you cannot see for yourself how I survived? I thought you were the genius of our clan…"

I add the last part of my statement as though I almost forgot it, and I see my words strike deeper into him then any weapon.

"You concentrated a large mass of chakra in your brain, behind your skull." He begins, telling me exactly what I did. "It created a wall around your brain which caused my chakra not to penetrate, but merely to be neutralized and absorbed by your own charka rendering it harmless.…"

I nod once.

"This match is over, you've lost, Neji-nii-san…"

His eyes go wide, and he shakes his head, getting to his feet and assuming a gentle fist stance.

"NO!" He vehemently denies, glaring at me with his Byakugan. "I can still fight, and I can still win…"

"Then come after me…" I taunt him, making a 'come on' motion with my left hand. "If you don't give up, I'll put you in the hospital."

He spits at my feet in disgust.

"I'm the one who gives warnings…" He begins, and then takes off toward me. "NOT YOU!"

I allow him to get into striking range, and he throws a single palm thrust, and I deflect it using my left hand, knocking the Gentle Fist blow away. My right hand impacts his chest in a palm thrust, hitting the chakra coils with the Gentle Fist. His left hand moves, aimed for my skull and I duck, allowing the blow to go over my head harmlessly. My right leg shoots out, impacting his chest with a loud THUMP, and the older boy slides backward. After 8 feet he comes to a stop, and I hear him cough, crimson fluid leaving his mouth and hitting the ground with a barely audible splat. His chest heaves while he stands there, and I reassume the neutral gentle fist stance, ready to fend off another onslaught…

"You BITCH!" He screams out in anger, fishing 6 shuriken from his pouch.

A moment later the 6 shuriken leave his hands, flying toward me with precision accuracy. I spin around, releasing a burst of reddish blue chakra from my body, wrapping myself in a dome of chakra, deflecting the 6 thrown weapons with a yell of 'rotation!' My spin gouges a few centimeters from the top of the ground around me, and I come to stop facing him, seeing that Neji has covered the distance between us, my chakra dome fading just before he crossed into its range, standing in front of me, assuming an all too familiar stance…

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams 64 Palms…" He mutters.

His hands lance out, striking me in my exposed chest, his blows landing again and again.

"2 Palms, 4 Palms, 8 Palms, 16 Palms, 32 Palms, 64 Palms!" He yells out, with each yell delivering more blows, until finally his last attack hits the remaining tenketsu on my chest, sealing them off and knocking me backward.

My feet slide against the ground, the sandals kicking up dirt as I look forward, my Byakugan suddenly cut off thanks to his attack. Without the Byakugan, I can no longer see the 3 broken ribs in his chest, or the lung damage he's suffered from the Gentle Fist kick I landed on him…

His face is set in an arrogant grin.

"We both know what just happened…" He begins, the arrogance permeating into his voice. "I've sealed off the tenketsu in your body using the most powerful Gentle Fist technique, we both know that you've got no chakra, and without it you'll never have a chance at beating me…"

For a moment, I think about using my physical speed, about forgetting about using one of grandmother's secrets, of just punching my cousin as hard I can in his face and watch the disbelief cross his face…

Decision made, I stand up straight, balling my hands into fists.

"I do not need chakra to defeat you, Neji-nii-san…" I mutter dryly.

His eyebrows rise a moment before I disappear, moving in a blur of motion toward him. My elbow finds its target, planting itself in his right side. I feel his ribs give under my physical blow, and I see his expression change, disbelief filling his eyes.

_Now, to put to use what I learned sparring against Rock Lee for half a month…_

Standing next to him, I spin around behind him and drive my right knee into the small of his back, aiming for his spin. The sound of the impact is like music to my ears, and I follow up with a knife edge chop to his neck with my left hand. The blow knocks him over, and he rolls on the ground, eventually coming up on both feet, but leaning forward, using one arm for balance…

I assume the same stance Lee always seems to use, my left arm behind my back with my left hand balled into a fist. I stand up straight and keep my right bicep against my right ribs, bending my arm at the elbow at a 45 degree angle, my hand in an open palm.

"What the…?" He mutters, blood seeping from his mouth.

"I will defeat you…" I say again. "Chakra or no chakra…"

He runs forward, and for a moment I think of opening the tenketsu in my body, using the Gentle Fist technique passed down through the main family just in case the branch houses ever challenged the main house for leadership, but I don't.

_Because when I beat him without resorting to any Gentle Fist techniques, the victory will be all the sweeter…_

He thrusts his right hand forward with his fingers extended, and I shift right, allowing his arm to pass in front of me at an angle. My right foot comes up and lands at his left knee, my shin impacting the joint with as much speed as I can muster into the blow. His knee buckles, and my left arm comes around, my punch landing squarely in his jaw. I hit him so hard, so quickly that he is knocked back from the physical force of the blow. He flips head over heels and his feet impact the ground, a shimmer around his feet telling me that he's using chakra to adhere his feet to the ground, and I see his body wobble backward and then ends up leaning forward, his arms hanging in front of him after he kills the rearward momentum…

He shakes his head, and then straightens his body. He assumes a gentle fist stance, wiping his now busted lip on the tape on his left arm…

"I will kill you…" He mutters, charging me again, screaming in anger and rage, the fire of his anger burning behind his eyes.

I drop down on my hands into a crouch, and he doesn't even register my foot until it hits his gut, knocking him backward with a cough of blood escaping his lips before he goes backward, landing on his back with a thud and skidding 3 feet backward. Still crouching, I watch him for a moment, and then I stand up straight, reassuming Lee's stance…

His head and body begin to move, his limps bending at the joints as he slowly gets to his feet. Watching him, I can tell that he's injuried, that he's in no condition to go on even without the Byakugan. Blood dribbles from his lips; the wound flows freely, and his neck is already turning purple from where I struck him. Were his left leg not taped, I'm sure that his knee would be beginning to turn purple as well…

I see his left knee buckle under his own weight a moment after he stands up, and he falls to his hands and knees. Blood hits the ground beneath his lips with a barely audible splatter, his stomach moving up and down as he heaves, sweat and dirt covering his skin…

"I cannot lose…" He says again, standing up, glaring at me past his obvious pain. "For Natsume, I will go to the end of the world!"

He begins a charge, and the second his left leg plants down, I see his knee buckle and he falls forward, landing flat on his face with a loud thud. His hands move, and his face shifts up, looking at me with blind hatred in his eyes.

"Cannot lose…" He mutters weakly, and then he begins to stand up again.

_He's doing all of this for his sister, he doesn't want her to be branded with the curse mark like he is, and he's willing to die to see that wish fulfilled…_

He gets to his feet through sheer willpower, barely managing to assume a gentle fist stance.

"Come at me Hinata, even like this, I will still kill you…"

"Neji-nii-san…" I begin with my voice low. "Tell me, is Natsume worth all of this, is she that precious to you?"

The surprise apparent in his eyes is obvious, the crowd having fallen deathly quiet watching Neji struggle to continue this match…

"Natsume is everything to me…" He says, the wound on his lip beginning to clot. "Like YOU would ever understand…" He finishes, spitting at me again.

"I do understand, Neji-nii-san…" I respond, and I can see the outrage in his eyes.

"How could you EVER understand?" He demands, dropping out of his stance and pointing at me with an extended pointer finger. "You're the daughter of the main family, you have no father, and no siblings; how could YOU EVER understand what I feel toward my sister?"

I lower my gaze a moment, and then I meet his gaze with confidence in my eyes.

"I know what it is to love, Neji-nii-san…" I explain to him. "As heir to the main family, I swear that your sister will never experience the curse mark."

"What…?" His lips move, but the word is nearly lost on them, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"I understand your feelings, Neji-nii-san, and as long as I draw breath, I will not allow your sister to become victim to the mark." I repeat myself, putting as much confidence into my voice as I can, and meaning every word I say.

_I never agreed with the idea of branding people with a mark anyway. I know it's to protect the secret of the clan, but Neji's father will soon be interim clan leader, and once I assume my rightful place, I will see to it that Natsume grows up without the mark, and free to do as she wishes…_

"Do you swear it on your life…?" He asks, and I can hear the desire to believe what I'm saying in his voice.

I nod once.

"The day Natsume receives the mark, is the day I die…" I tell him in an absolute tone.

Neji's eyes shift from me to the proctor, the veins around his eyes receding back into his skull.

"Proctor, I am unable to continue this match…" He says weakly, and then his body falls backward, his eyes drifting closed, as though it was only through sheer force of will that he managed to stand…

His body hits the ground with a thud, his arms out straight and his legs splayed. For a moment after Neji's concession, the entire crowd in the arena is quiet, the sound of his impact fading when the crowd begins to cheer, yelling out their approval of a hard fought match…

"Well what'dya know…?" The proctor mutters, looking around at the crowd, and then his eyes fix on me. "The winner, Hinata Hyuga…!" He yells out above the crowds cheers.

I look at the crowd, reveling in my victory for a moment, and I see my normally super reserved grandmother in the stands, on her feet and cheering, surrounded by other cheering members of our clan. Looking at her, and the…proud and loving expression on her face, I can't help but smile…

_She's proud of me, I defeated Neji without revealing the secrets of the family to him, and I've no doubt made an ally close to the breast of my enemy…_

Thinking of Hizashi, I look around for him and I do not see him present anywhere in the stands, although a chair now lies vacant in the stands three sections from where my grandmother sits several other Hyuga sitting around the empty seat…

The proctor makes a circle with his two fingers, and medics emerge from the coliseum doors, rushing out with a stretcher between them. The two white clad medics gently lift Neji up and put him on the stretcher, when a new noise enters my ears.

"WAY TO GO HINATA!" Naruto's voice yells over the crowd.

I turn to look to see him run across the arena and wrap his arms around me. He lifts me up and embraces me in a loving bear hug, and I feel my cheeks flush while my crush holds me.

"Naruto, I believe it would be prudent to release Hinata…" I hear Shino's voice.

I look to see the Aburame not 5 feet behind Naruto, the boy having silently stalked up to the two of us.

I see Naruto grin, and he lowers me to the ground, looking into my eyes, I feel his right hand stroke my hair lovingly.

"You kicked his ass Hinata; I never had a doubt…" He whispers to me, and I can no longer control the color of my cheeks.

Shino's hand comes to rest on Naruto's right shoulder.

"We should assist Hinata in collecting her things and then return to the viewing platform…" Shino recommends. "The next match will begin soon, and we must vacate the area before it begins."

Naruto nods once, releasing me and walking over to where my weights lie on the ground. He scoops them up, and I see his eyes showing his surprise at the sheer amount of weight in my restraints.

"Congratulations…" Shino simply says to me, and I nod my head in thanks.

"Thank you, Shino…" I respond.

Naruto walks up to both of us, and Shino motions for us to return to the viewing balcony. I walk with the two of them, and I still feel the effects of Neji's attack. Walking with both Naruto and Shino, I use the Gentle Fist secret that Grandmother Hibana taught me, using residual chakra left behind even after Gentle Fist blows to reopen the tenketsu inside my body, feeling my senses coming back to me, the hairs on my skin standing on end as the feeling of a static shock shockwaves through me.

By the time I hit the steps I take the weights back from Naruto and return them to my limbs, my chakra is restored to me once more. Walking up those steps, I think about my training with the 'Toad Sage' and learning his all powerful summoning technique…

_I didn't need the summoning to beat Neji, and even if I had used it, the toad would've been dispelled with a solid Gentle Fist blow, so it would've been a waste of chakra to summon the thing in the first place. I wonder if I'll ever use that ridiculous technique, honestly, summoning a toad to assist me in combat is about the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard of…_

Walking back to the viewing area, the cheering of the crowd begins to die down, and I realize that the next match will be starting soon, and the crowd is no doubt looking forward to it…

_I heard there are betting pools that happen at events like this. Nobles put money on the competitors and try to influence the outcome of the match so the lord or noble can win the bet…_

The proctor motions for the crowd to quiet down, and after nearly a minute, the crowd becomes silent again. The proctor turns his head up toward the balcony.

"The next match will be Shikamaru Nara and Temari, both of you get down here!" The proctor yells.

With a gust of wind, Temari floats into the arena, actually riding on her fan and gently gliding into the arena. She floats until she's within 5 feet of the ground, and then she hops off of her fan and lands on her feet, collapsing the fan and returning it to her back. The proctor looks at her with a calm expression.

"And you are…?" He asks.

"It's my turn isn't it, I'm Temari…" She identifies herself.

The proctor turns back toward the balcony.

"Shikamaru Nara, get down here now." He says again.

The Nara boy starts muttering to himself, and I hear him ask whether or not he should just forfeit when Naruto moves behind him.

"Go on Shikamaru; kick the crap out of her!" Naruto encourages him, slapping the other boy on the shoulder.

The Nara child flips over the railing and falls toward the ground, letting out a startled yell while he somehow manages to right himself and land on his bottom. He sits near the arena wall a moment, his gaze drifting upward, and I can see the displeasure in his eyes.

_He's probably not too happy with Naruto right about now…_

Shikamaru gets to his feet, brushing himself off and removing what little dirt got on his clothes. He walks forward slowly, and stops with 10 feet between him and Temari.

"Man, how troublesome…" He mutters, and Temari raises an eyebrow.

"What's the matter, afraid that you're going to lose?" Temari goads him.

If she meant to make him angry, the shot doesn't work.

"No, not really…" He replies in almost bored tone. "It's just troublesome that you're a girl, I'd rather fight Choji again then fight a girl…"

Now, it's Temari's turn to take offense.

"What, you think because I'm a woman that I'm weak?" She demands, and Shikamaru shakes his head again.

"I just don't like fighting against girls; it goes against my grain to hit women, regardless of how old they are…"

"Well, if you wanna forfeit, just go ahead!"

"Begin!" The proctor yells and then jumps back; afraid they'll start fighting before he starts the match…

A moment after the proctor starts the match; Temari opens her fan and uses it like she did during the Chunin exams, using it to fling wind at her opponent like a barrage of shuriken. Shikamaru jumps to one side, and Temari keeps going, throwing more and more wind at him. Shikamaru jumps from side to side, avoiding the deadly gusts of wind, and I see his eyes watching, his gaze analyzing his opponent for any weakness, or any opening he can exploit…

_In spite of his general demeanor, I've heard that when he gets motivated, he's actually really smart and one of if not the best strategist of our generation…_

Watching the two of them, Shikamaru dodges Temari's wind several times, and I notice that she only swings her three or four times in rapid succession before she stops, pulling it back toward her for a moment before she swings it again…

_He's studying her attack, and he's seeing how many times she can use it in a row before he commits an offensive maneuver. His shadow possession leaves him immobile, and if she can hurl wind when he's stretching his shadow, he's done…_

The dance continues with Shikamaru avoiding the wind while Temari throws more and more his way. Finally, after several repetitions, Shikamaru palms a kunai into his hand and throws it. Temari easily deflects the thrown knife using her wind like she did against Ten-Ten, so Shikamaru follows up with 2 kunai. The weapons are easily deflected by Temari well before they impact her, and then three kunai leave his hand. Temari deflects those as well, and then Shikamaru throws 2 more kunai, following it up quickly with 2 more from his other hand. Rather then deflect these, she gracefully sidesteps and avoids the thrown weapons, a cocky smirk on her face.

"Is that all you can do?" Temari asks, though Shikamaru has dropped to one knee, his hands together in a familiar hand sign…

_That sign…_

With the hand sign the shadow beneath Shikamaru leaps out, heading toward Temari like a black snake looking to strike its quarry. The blonde sand kunoichi jumps backward, lifting her fan with one arm and hops backward while Shikamaru's shadow keeps coming for her, until after her third hop, his shadow stops and she gouges the ground with the side of her fan.

_She's marking his distance, seeing how far his range is and planning on keeping herself at least that far away from him. She must be incredibly intelligent to be able to crunch numbers like that…_

She opens her fan and throws more wind at him, and this time, Shikamaru disappears in the cloud of dust and dirt that's kicked up from Temari's attack. The dust begins to settle, and Temari's eyes scan the area, searching for her prey. Looking around the arena, Shikamaru is nowhere to be seen, having gone into hiding somewhere within the arena…

_Unless he wants to lose and just chickened out of the match… No, I don't think he'd do something like that. I don't know much about him, but Naruto seems to know him, and I don't think Naruto would associate with someone that would run away from a match like this one…_

I make a hand sign and activate my Byakugan, the kekkei genkai's insight filling my vision. I quickly locate Shikamaru, the boy hiding in the small patch of trees in the shadow of the arena wall. The Nara boy has his hands together, his fingertips pressed together in a hand sign that I've never seen before. His eyes are closed, and he's on one knee, his head slightly leaning forward.

_Is he planning something? Is that thing he's doing with his hands some sort of Nara secret jutsu?_

He kneels there, completely quiet and not making even the slightest sound.

"Hinata…" Naruto's voice whispers into my ears. "Can you see him?"

I nod once, keeping my eyes on the small patch of trees.

"He's hiding in the trees in the arena shadow…" I whisper to my teammate. "He's making a strange hand sign and doesn't look like he's getting ready to go on an attack…"

"I have heard rumors whispered of Shikamaru's tactical prowess…" Shino keeps his voice low, standing on the other side of me. "While outstandingly lazy, when motivated during the academy he would seem to possess an incredibly high intelligence."

With the Byakugan, I can see both of my teammates intently watching the match, so I don't take my eyes off of Shikamaru while he remains in hiding; his pose exactly the same as before…

"If he's thinking, then I guess that's good, isn't it?" I ask, and neither Naruto nor Shino say or do anything to answer…

Temari's eyes lock on the small section of trees, a smile spreading on her face.

"I've found you!" She yells out.

She opens her fan and uses her technique, the air blasting toward Shikamaru like razors. Her attack impacts the trees, cutting off small branches and kicking up dust and dirt. With the Byakugan, I see Shikamaru avoid the brunt of Temari's attack, and put his hands together, making the sign for the shadow possession again.

His shadow extends, shooting out toward Temari the same as it did on his previous attempt. Temari spots his shadow and jumps back, being cautious in spite of the fact that she should technically be outside his range. His shadow passes her mark, and she keeps moving, moving farther and farther back until his shadow stops, and she marks the ground again with her fan.

Shikamaru retracts his shadow, which disappears into the small wooded area while Temari looks on with disgust in her eyes.

"Hey, is that all you've got you old hag?" Shikamaru's voice drifts from the trees.

"What?" Temari demands in outrage, a vein on her forehead bulging.

_Is he goading her? Is he trying to get her to move back into his range and then hit her with his shadow possession?_

Temari opens her fan, yelling out in anger while she releases a large gust of wind, obviously meant to try and kill Shikamaru. With the Byakugan I see him use the trees for protection, the foliage taking the brunt of the attack while he remains protected. Once her attack dissipates, I see him grab 5 kunai from his pouch, with an exploding tag attached to the ring of each knife.

_He's going to use bombs against her? But she'll just deflect them, and then that could kill many of the spectators here…_

He throws the 5 kunai with the tags still attached toward her. The knives fly straight and true with Temari instantly recognizing the attached tags. She uses her wind, the knives flying away from her and landing point first in the ground around her in a somewhat 10 foot radius. The tags ignite, and I see her eyes go wide a moment before the tags explode.

The explosion echoes through the arena, and the proctor raises his arms to shield his eyes from the light. I close my eyes and turn my vision away from the explosion, not wanting to see the corpse of the sand kunoichi blown to pieces inside the flame.

I wait a moment and then reopen my eyes. In the middle of the explosion I see Temari, cocooned by rapidly moving air that somehow prevented the fire and flames from touching her…

_Whoever she is, she's obviously a master with wind based chakra, and so what is she doing in the Chunin exams? She's obviously not a genin level shinobi, so why hasn't she already made Chunin? She's older then Naruto and I, and she acts like it's her first time in the exams…_

Once the dust and smoke clear, Temari stands untouched, and the entire arena seems to breathe a sigh of relief…

_Apparently nobles don't like seeing people blown apart in front of them…_

"Did you mean to use those explosions to get me inside your range?" Temari asks her opponent, who remains hidden inside the trees. "Well, it didn't work and it was a bad strategy."

For a moment, everything is quiet until the Nara emerges from the trees, with his hands up, as though he's surrendering…

"What the…?" I hear Naruto ask in disbelief.

"Are you surrendering?" Temari asks, and Shikamaru takes a step forward.

"What's going on?" He asks with his hands still raised.

I see a questioning gaze pass the sand kunoichi's eyes.

"What're you talking about?" He asks. "Why have you been holding back? It's obvious to me that you possess far greater skill with that wind of yours then you're letting on." He says. "With your chakra, you only use your wind technique 3 times as a defensive barrier, when it's obvious to me that you could keep using it, but you don't." He explains.

I see the girl grimace.

"Mind your own business!" Temari angrily orders him.

The proctor's gaze locks on Shikamaru.

"Are you forfeiting the match?" He asks, and Shikamaru shakes his head no.

"I'm not forfeiting…" He says simply.

He grabs his last kunai from his pouch. Temari grimaces and prepares to use her fan, when he throws the weapon BEHIND him…

_Is she using some clone technique or something to try and get behind him?_

It's only when the knife goes into the trees and I look with my Byakugan that I realize exactly what it is Shikamaru is planning.

"What's wrong, have you lost your mind?" Temari asks in the brief moment of silence after the knife enters the trees.

The sound of branches snapping pulls the kunoichi's attention toward the trees, and kunai knives fling from branches, the rope that held them in place cut with Shikamaru's last thrown kunai. The knives fly forward, and Temari uses her wind, deflecting the knives as they come after her one after another. Then, after the last kunai flies, Temari stops moving, and everyone in the arena sees Shikamaru's shadow extended between them, Shikamaru holding his hand sign while Temari stands there; her body assumes a similar pose…

"Success…" Shikamaru mutters, looking at the blonde kunoichi without a hint of accomplishment or pride.

_He's basically got the match won, and it's like he doesn't even care…_

He stands up straight and Temari copies his motions exactly while the two of them walk forward. The two of them stand less then 5 feet across from each other, and then Shikamaru raises his right hand and Temari does so as well.

"It's troublesome, but I'm forfeiting this match…"

Temari looks surprised the moment before Shikamaru's shadow pulls backward and returns to him. The sand kunoichi looks at him while Shikamaru calmly turns around and walks back toward the viewing platform. Temari picks up her fan and returns it to her back the moment before the proctor opens his mouth.

"The winner by forfeit, Temari…" The proctor declares.

The sand kunoichi follows Shikamaru in his slow walk back to the viewing platform. Shikamaru arrives almost a minute before Temari does. Upon arriving on the platform, Naruto immediately runs over to Shikamaru, getting in the Nara boy's face. I follow Naruto and stand next to him while he questions Shikamaru…

"What're you doing Shikamaru?" Naruto demands from him. "You had the match won!"

Shikamaru shakes his head.

"That girl, she was fighting like her mind was on something else, she wasn't giving it her all. Had she, I would've had a much harder time luring her into that trap."

"Oh…well, what could she have been thinking about?"

Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders, and it's then that Shino appears next to me, the boy keeping his hands in his pockets.

"I have heard the sand ninja speak of a 'plan' of some kind, although I have no other information to offer other then that."

"They've been talking about a plan?" Naruto mutters and Shino nods.

"They speak reverently of a plan, and I have had a scent producing kikai attach themselves to all three of them, just as a precaution."

The conversation would continue, however the proctor speaks up, calling the attention of everyone present toward him.

"All right, Ino Yamanaka and Kankuro, your match is next, so report to the arena floor."

I notice nervousness passing behind Kankuro's eyes, and then the older black clad shinobi speaks up.

"Proctor, I forfeit." Kankuro says simply, and I see Ino LOOK surprised.

The proctor, if he's surprised, doesn't show it.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" He asks, and Kankuro nods.

"All right…" He begins. "Naruto Namikaze, Gaara, both of you report to the arena, your match is next!"

Naruto nods once, looking toward the railing and then his left hand reaches out, touching the railing before my hand reaches out, grabbing his right shoulder.

"Naruto…" I mutter, searching for the words to say to him.

_What can I say to him? He's about to fight against a homicidal nutcase that could very well kill him…_

"Hinata…?" He asks, not knowing what I'm about to do.

Not knowing what to do, I look into his eyes, and then my hand drifts around, pulling me closer to him. My lips meet his for a single moment, his entire body tensing from the new sensation. I feel electricity run through me from the contact, and I can't help but feel the butterflies in my stomach. I pull back slowly, my face flushing, a similar condition appearing on his face.

He looks speechless, and I can tell that he doesn't know what to say.

"Good luck…" I whisper, looking down and to my left in embarrassment…

"Hinata…" He stammers, and Shino clears his throat.

"Naruto, it would be inadvisable to continue remaining here…" He says with an even tone. "Your opponent has already gone to the arena floor."

Naruto looks surprised; his face spinning to the arena. Gaara stands next to the proctor, his arms crossed and a look of impatience on his face. Naruto hops the railing hurriedly, and I can't help but feel the blush remain in my cheeks while I watch him jog toward his opponent…

_I just kissed him…_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Coming of the Second Flash…

(Well, this is chapter 15, and I've got some news for you people. First and foremost, this is my current beta's last chapter with me. That said, I'm putting out an invitation to anyone that wants to pick up his slack on a long term basis. If I don't get one, the quality will dip somewhat, and this won't sound as good. Perks to being the beta are you get to read my chapters before I post them, and you get to critic my work. Also, you get to be an unsung hero. Anyway, my beta didn't like this one as much, but he still thought it was good. Anyway, that's all I really got to say, with the next chapter you'll get an Omake explaining some of the events you don't see in this and the next chapter….)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 15: The Coming of the Second Flash…

A hallway lined with lockers inside the ninja academy of the Hidden Village of Konoha, 6 years ago…

"Get away from me you freak!"

Pain shoots through my hand, and a plastic case clatters to the floor. I look down at my right hand, and I feel the stinging sensation from the slap begin to subside. I look up, seeing the dark haired 6-year-old boy looking at me with hatred in his young eyes.

"But…I…" I stammer, and the boy kneels down, snatching the plastic pencil case up before I can continue.

"Stay away from me, and if you touch anything else that's mine, you'll be sorry!" The dark haired child threatens, and then turns and runs away, leaving me alone in the hallway of the academy.

I drop my gaze, looking down to the ground with my arms hanging at my sides. Standing in the middle of the hallway, I close my eyes as I try to hold back the tears of sadness and rejection…

_I was only trying to help, he dropped his pencil case, and I just wanted to return it, so why did he act like that?_

The child acted just like nearly all of the adults of the village, treating me with disrespect; looking at me like I'm a monster. I raise my right hand, looking down at my palm where the boy struck me…

_Why…?_

I feel the tears begin to creep from my closed eyes, and I sniffle, asking myself again and again why everyone treats me like life would be better off if I didn't exist…

"Hey…" A young boy's voice enters my ears, a hint of concern to it. "Are you all right?" The voice asks.

It takes a moment for me to recognize the voice, but when my eyes open and I turn around, I see the young child of the 4th Hokage standing there, his backpack light on his back, wearing a green shirt with the red leaf symbol on it and a pair of tan colored shorts and sandals…

I wipe my eyes, knowing that my grandmother would scold me for hours about showing my emotions to another person…

"I'm fine…" I respond, my voice cracking in spite of my best efforts.

I look to see recognition in his eyes.

"You're Hinata Hyuga, aren't you?" He asks, and I nod once, lowering my eyes.

"Why are you crying?" His words echo in my ears.

My head shoots up, becoming level with his once again.

"I wasn't crying!" I pitifully deny. "There was something in my eye…"

The Namikaze child shakes his head.

"I saw what those kids did to you, you only wanted to give him his thing back, and he treated you like that…"

Seeing the pity on his face, I look away from him, casting my eyes to the floor.

"It was nothing…" I respond. "Everyone treats me like that, so I'm used to it…"

For a moment, I don't hear anything, and I look up to see him standing there, a look of shock having spread across his features.

"What do you mean, 'everyone treats me like that?'" He asks, disbelief filling his voice.

I shrug my shoulders.

"For as long as I can remember, people have treated me like that boy, and I do not know why…"

"That's wrong." He says simply, absolutely. "My father says you're a hero to our village, and he's the Hokage…" He says with not a little pride.

_The Hokage thinks I'm a hero?_

"But, why does he think that?" I ask, forgetting about the tears and the boy who caused them.

The blonde boy shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't really know, but I do know that I don't think its right that people treat you that way, hero or not, you're still a person…"

&

"Hinata…" Shino's voice enters my ears, and I blink twice, my teammate's voice pulling me back to the present.

I look to my left, an apologetic expression on my face.

"I'm sorry Shino; I just remembered something from long ago…" I explain, and the Aburame nods.

"Reminiscence would be best reserved for later, Naruto's match is set to begin…" He informs me, and I nod again.

"Thank you, Shino…" I respond, and then turn my attention toward the match.

"I have heard the sand genin discuss their plan with greater reverence, my kikai overheard them mention it to the one called Gaara, I believe whatever they're planning has something to do with this match, and have sent one of my kikai to inform my father."

Shikamaru Nara, who never really left earshot, nods once.

"I knew it; I knew something was up…"

_Naruto…_

Looking at Naruto, I can't help but see an image of his father overlap his own, the boy quickly becoming more and more like him…

_Happy go lucky at times, and then completely serious at others, it's almost like there are 2 sides to his personality. I hope that Naruto has spent the last month learning everything his father knows, and he knocks Gaara's head off with one punch…_

Both Naruto and Gaara stand apart from each other, with neither shinobi having done anything to each other. The proctor stands in his usual place; slightly out of the way, but close enough to stop any sneak shots…

"Do either of you have any objections?" The proctor asks.

Naruto shakes his head, and Gaara remains quiet. Naruto stands with his back to me, so I can see into Gaara's eyes, the bloodlust in them is overwhelming; the desire to kill sends a chill down my spine…

_I feel like I'm staring down the Kyuubi, but the bloodlust isn't as strong as it is with the fox…_

The normally rowdy crowd has fallen silent, the desire to kill radiating off of Gaara so intently that even the untrained spectators can feel it…

"Tell me, what is it that girl did to you just now?" Gaara asks in an eerily creepy voice.

"You mean Hinata?" Naruto asks, and Gaara stands silent. "She kissed me…"

"Why?"

"Because…" Naruto begins. "She likes me, and she wanted to wish me luck, and show her affection for me…"

"Such expressions are meaningless…"

The sincerity in his voice makes me shiver…

_He honestly believes what he's saying, how can he believe that?_

"BEGIN!" The proctor yells, and then jumps back.

Kunai fly from Naruto's hands, the boy palming them into his hand with a smooth motion. The knives fly, and Gaara's sand rises, intercepting the thrown weapons and forming into what looks like a sand based copy of Gaara…

_A sand clone…_

Naruto charges forward, yelling out in anger when he strikes the sand clone, which to the surprise of all simply takes the blow, the sand forming around Naruto's fist, trapping him there.

"Do you think you can validate my existence with that…?" Gaara mutters, a hint of insanity to his voice.

Naruto pulls his arm free and then jumps backward, flipping backward 3 times before he comes to a stop. The sand clone returns to its original shape, looking like it hasn't even been damaged. Naruto makes hand signs, and a moment later a 6-foot high wall of mud rises up from the ground. Gaara stares at it, his sand sliding across the ground to plow into the wall of mud. When the two collide, the sand knocks the mud wall over like a stack of children's blocks, and Naruto is nowhere to be seen behind the mud wall or the sea of sand that now covers it. Gaara slowly scans the area with his unblinking eyes, and his eyes stop on the small tree area that Shikamaru hid in during the previous match.

_Don't tell me he's hiding there…_

Gaara uncrosses his arms, holding his hands open. Sand moves into his hands, forming 2 large Fuma shuriken made of sand. Gaara throws the weapons one after the other, yelling out 'sand shuriken' with the attack. The two large shuriken cut into the trees, slicing down almost all of the small trees which falls and hits the ground with loud cracks and splintering sounds.

_Oh no, Naruto…_

The ground beneath Gaara cracks; and the sand genin looks down just in time to see Naruto jump up out of the ground, landing a hard left uppercut straight to the sand Genin's jaw. The sand genin bends backward, but doesn't go flying into the air like a normal person should. Instead, he recovers, bending his back forward and slamming his head into Naruto's forehead. Naruto reels backward, either in enormous amount of pain or just using it as an excuse to get away. The boy flips backward, putting 10 feet between them before he comes to a stop. Gaara lands on his feet with a light thud, the sand armor on his face cracked. Naruto stands up straight, watching him and making a familiar hand sign.

"Shadow Clone jutsu…!" He yells out.

10 Naruto clones spring into existence, and the clones yell out, charging for the sand shinobi whose only response is to cross his arms over his chest. The clones go on the offensive, and Gaara's sand shield rises to meet the clone's barrage. The sand on Gaara's face armor reforms while the sand shield does its job. The sand begins to lash out, grabbing clones by the arms and legs', flinging them away from the psychotic Genin it tries so hard to protect. The clones dispel on impact, and the last shadow clone falls not 5 minutes after the clones were formed…

"Is that all you can do, is that all you can justify my existence?"

Naruto reaches for his weights, rolling up his sleeves to remove the arm weights, and then the leg weights. Watching the boy shuck the weights, I can tell that he's increased his weight load, the loud CLANG of the metal restraints hitting the ground another testament to the boy's training over the past month…

_This is where things change, up until now, the fight has been Gaara's, but once Naruto attacks him with that taijutsu, there's no way that sand will be able to keep up…_

Naruto bounces on the balls of his feet, swinging his arms back and forth like a boxer, not only reveling in the loss of the weights but also testing himself, seeing just how much effort he needs to move at a normal speed…

Naruto runs forward, heading straight toward Gaara at a quick jog. The sand genin smiles while his sand lifts up, ready to tear and rip Naruto apart when Naruto disappears in a blur of motion. Gaara's eyes go wide, and a resounding CRACK echoes through the arena, sending Gaara flying forward, Naruto's fist directly behind the boy's skull, his punch happening in the blink of an eye…

_Unreal…_

The crowd gasps in surprise, and I risk a glance toward Temari and Kankuro, both of whom has a look of shocked amazement on their faces. Naruto stands with his right arm extended for a moment, before resuming his taijutsu stance. Gaara on the other hand reels from Naruto's impact, spinning in the air while his sand moves beneath him, forming a cushion for the genin when his body hits the ground, barely an audible thud. Even without the Byakugan, I can see the sand armor on the back of Gaara's head is broken, his sand already moving to replace it as he gets to his feet from his hands and knees. Although I cannot see his face from this angle, I can feel the bloodlust coming from him, now more intense then ever…

"That's it…" He mutters, not in the least bit displeased, sounding happier then anything. "That's what I crave…"

_Is he some sort of masochist? Does he take pleasure from pain?_

The sand beneath Gaara forms a circle around Gaara again.

"I'll be the one to put a stop to you and your psychotic ambitions…" Naruto informs him, and the sand genin smiles.

"Do you think I care about those fools and their stupid plan?" Gaara asks, and I see Temari's face change, shock appearing on her features. "The only thing that matters to me is killing, that's the only thing that makes me feel alive, and IT'S MY ONLY PURPOSE!"

The sand lashes out in a wave, and Naruto disappears again. The remaining sand forms a wall behind him, and Gaara flies right, the sound catching up to my vision when I see Naruto's fist near where Gaara's left shoulder used to be…

_Amazing, he's progressed so far, so quickly…_

Gaara recovers from this blow, using his arms to handstand his way back to his feet. I can't see his face because of the angle, but I can only imagine that the sand shell surrounding him is cracked and damaged, just as it was the first time Naruto struck him…

_It's good that Naruto can damage him, but if he can only land one hammer blow at a time he'll never crack the armor. As long as Gaara has sand he can just reform the armor over and over again…_

"Why bother maintaining that ridiculous armor...?" Naruto asks him. "I told my father about it, and he said it must require a large amount of chakra to maintain it, to keep the sand that close to your skin at all times like you do. And I'd imagine that you can't keep reforming the armor over and over again, so I'll just keep cracking at the armor until you can't reform it anymore!"

Gaara glares at him, and I can feel his blood lust, the desire to rip Naruto apart palpable around him. Gaara sends his sand after Naruto, the shifting sand moving left and right as it travels along the ground, heading toward Naruto, wanting to crush the boy in a large shell of sand. Naruto disappears in a blur of motion, and a wall of sand springs up around Gaara, the tall cocoon surrounding him on all sides. For a moment, everything is peaceful, and then sand on one side of the cocoon caves him, and Gaara's yell of surprise can be heard throughout the arena. Naruto appears near the impact, his arm reaching inside the small sand cocoon. He strains, apparently pulling on something, and a moment later Gaara is literally ripped free from the sand cocoon meant to protect him, Naruto holding him by his left hand. The sand cocoon instantly falls, and Naruto spins Gaara like a rag doll, hurling the boy with one hand toward the far wall. Gaara moves in a blur of black and red, his body slamming into the wall with a loud BOOM, the cement of the wall cracking and giving under the impact. Fortunately, Naruto threw him into a section with no seats above it, so no one is directly in danger…

The crowd looks on in hushed awe at the son of the Fourth Hokage doing battle with a psychotic monster from the sand village. Sand flows from the cracked section of the wall, a cloud of dust obscuring the crowd's view of Gaara. Without the Byakugan, I know what happened, the exact same thing that happened when Rock Lee used the Hidden Lotus on Gaara in the preliminaries…

_He used that gourd; he turned it into sand and used it to cushion the blow. I bet he isn't even really hurt, when that throw would've killed most normal shinobi…_

The cloud of dust conceals Gaara, and I resist the urge to activate my Byakugan, instead trying to make out anything through the cloud. The dust begins to settle, and a shadowy figure stands up. Looking into the cloud, I recognize Gaara's outline, without the trademark gourd strapped to his back.

A moment later the dust settles, and Gaara and his surroundings are revealed to all. The ground beneath and behind the sand genin has become covered in the sand that I can only presume once made up his gourd. The red haired boy's stomach moves up and down slowly, as though he was just now beginning to get winded. Naruto breathes lightly, as though he's just jogged several miles, his shoulders moving ever so slightly...

_Naruto's winded, whatever the source of that taijutsu style, it's taking its toll on him. If he doesn't finish this match soon, he's going to end up losing…_

Blood runs down Gaara's forehead and around his right eye, the wet liquid dripping to the ground beneath him. His eyes glare at Naruto with what I can only imagine as pure violence in them.

The sand armor that once covered Gaara's body now lies cracked and broken; with his natural pale skin revealed from beneath the sand armor. The sand around him crawls up his body, reforming the armor around his skin to become a protective barrier against Naruto's attacks…

_The sand, he isn't doing anything to move it, it's moving on another will all together. That must be how the sand shield moves without him doing anything as well, since the wall protects him, and Naruto is only able to get around it with the Isshunken. If he doesn't move it, then he has to have a Bijuu inside of him, there's no other explanation for it…_

_He's a Jinchuriki like I am, but he looks like he's a few years older then I am. Could it be that eventually the Kyuubi's influence over me will become so great that I'll start acting like that? I think I'd rather lock myself up in a deep dark cell… _

Then, Gaara's right hand reaches up and pulls me from my thoughts. He touches the crimson liquid seeping from the wound beneath his already red hair with his pointer and middle fingers, and then pulls his hand away. He looks at his two crimson fingertips, a new expression appearing in his eyes, one I've never seen before…

"My blood…" His lips mouth the word, but no sound emerges from them. Then, the sand genin draws in a breath. "IT'S MY BLOOD!" He releases a blood-curdling scream from the depths of his lungs.

His scream echoes throughout the arena, and I feel a chill run down my spine at his scream, the sand around him thrashing about the ground in anger…

_This feeling…_

Gaara's hands come together, forming a strange hand sign, and out of the corner of my eye I see recognition pass Temari and Kankuro's respective faces with Temari whispering something…

_No mistake, they recognize what he's doing…_

The sand around Gaara flows around him, forming a sphere of solid sand around the sand genin…

_What now…_

"Oh no…" I barely hear Temari whisper.

Naruto looks on in puzzlement, and I see a strange eyeball form of sand over the large sand orb…

_What in the world is that?_

Then, I see Naruto smirk, a cocky grin spreading across his face.

"New jutsu huh…" He mutters, crossing his hands and making the sign of the ram. "Shadow Clone Jutsu…!"

Two Narutos appear in small puffs of smoke on both sides of the original Naruto, and I wonder just what my teammate has planned…

_If he's going to use the Rasengan, he only really needs 1 shadow clone to help him with that, so why bother creating a second one?_

The real Naruto extends his right hand, and the two shadow clones extend both of their arms. The two clones go about molding chakra, and I see the blue energy begin to swirl in Naruto's hand…

_He's going to hit him with a Rasengan, but will that technique have enough power to pierce that sand sphere?_

The Rasengan begins to form in Naruto's hand, the sphere the size of a softball, and then I see the sphere begin to expand, getting bigger with the chakra within the ball becoming thicker and brighter, more condensed…

_What's this?_

"A new Rasengan…" Shino mutters to himself, and I glance to my left, seeing the Aburame looking on intently, though his hands are still in his pockets.

I look back to the match, seeing the Rasengan in Naruto's hand having grown to twice its normal size. The two clones disappear, and I see Naruto smirk.

"Let's see you take this…" He mutters.

Naruto shifts his stance, assuming a stance very similar to a marathon runner about to spring off of the starting line. He rests his left hand against the ground, bending his legs at the knees, raising the oversized Rasengan up at an angle behind his head…

_He isn't going to charge it, is he?_

Naruto coils his legs, and then takes off, nothing more then a black and orange streak with a small blue light in it that flies forward in a split second, and the blue light disappears into the sand sphere. Spikes shoot out from the sphere and the black and orange streak flies backward. Dust flies up as Naruto's feet skid against the ground, the streak turning back into a recognizable boy. He stands bent forward with his left hand against the ground, three small gouges in the ground from the sphere going straight back to where Naruto currently stands, showing his retreat path…

A small cut adorns Naruto's left cheek, and the son of the Fourth Hokage ignores the wound, his eyes locked on the sphere ahead of him…

_If that attack is just a powered up version of the normal Rasengan, then I imagine that any moment now Gaara will come flying out the back of that sphere…_

For a moment, nothing happens, the crowd falling completely quiet in spite of everything that's going on. Then, I see a crack form in the sphere, blue light flashing out of the crack…

_What's happening now?_

The sphere begins to crack, and blue light flashes from the cracks, and then the rear of the sphere, the part closest to the arena wall EXPLODES outward, a red and black streak flies out of it, Gaara going THROUGH the wall behind him and the boy keeps going, heading into the forest…

"Holy shit…" Shikamaru mutters…

The entire crowd has fallen silent. Naruto stands up straight, an expression of pride taking hold on his features, his handiwork on display for everyone to see in front of him…

_He blew Gaara not only out of the sphere, but out of the arena…_

The proctor looks at Naruto, and then the retreating sand that quickly shoots out of the arena, following the path of destruction created by its master as he exited the Chunin exams…

"I don't believe it…" Kankuro mutters and I look to see both of the sand genin with expressions of disbelief on their faces.

"I told you Naruto wouldn't lose…" I tell both of them, my face set in a cold expression. "He never runs, and he never gives up…"

Kankuro looks at me a moment, and then returns his gaze to the arena, his eyes looking at Naruto, and the hole in the wall where Gaara exited the arena…

"That little brat did it…" He mutters, and Temari remains silent.

"The winner, by knock out, is Naruto Namikaze…" The proctor declares.

Naruto grins, thrusting his right fist into the air.

"YEAH…!" He lets out an energetic yell, hopping into the air in victory…

I stand with my hands on the railing, resisting the urge to leap over the railing…

"It would appear as though Naruto has done what Rock Lee could not do…" Shino says, and I nod.

Naruto revels in his victory a moment, and then he turns around. He retrieves his weights before he starts up the steps, the crowd cheering at his win, and the spectacular finish. Medic ninja leave the arena, the medics going out the hole made by Gaara, holding medical supplies and a stretcher…

"There will be a 15 minute intermission while we repair damage done to the arena during the last match…" The proctor says.

I don't even pay any attention to the 4 Chunin that emerge from the double doors and approach the hole made by Naruto. Instead I see him appear near the top of the steps. 5 nearly flying steps later he's in my arms…

"YOU WON!" I congratulate him, and I see the boy grin.

His mouth gets near my ear, and I hear him whisper.

"Your good luck charm worked…" He whispers, and I feel my face flush.

"Ah-hem…" Shikamaru clears his throat loudly.

In a split second Naruto and I are apart from each other, my arms behind my back. I look away from both Shikamaru and Shino, who stand next to each other, less then 5 feet away.

"There will be time for your romantic reunion later…" Shikamaru says while Naruto takes the last step, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs.

My face flushed while I looked away from the Nara boy, moving my hands behind me. Shino stands next to Shikamaru, and for a moment, no one says anything while Naruto scratches the back of his head.

"Whatever those sand ninja are planning…" Shikamaru begins. "It's plausible that Gaara was somehow instrumental in their plans…"

Then, a loud, animal roar covers the arena, and deep inside me, I can feel a sense of familiarity from somewhere…

"What?" Shikamaru mutters and I look to the sand ninja, seeing expressions of pure terror on their faces.

"That voice, it can't be…" Temari mutters.

_If they recognize it, then it has to be…_

I turn and look in the direction Naruto knocked Gaara, and what I see sends a chill running down a my spine, and for a moment, I don't believe that I'm even seeing it…

_That isn't possible…_

A giant creature, easily 40 feet tall if it is an inch tall stands on four legs, pushing the tall trees aside like toothpicks. It looks like it's made of sand; its eyes are yellow, and a single tail made of sand hangs behind the monster, the tail arching up and over the creature. On the creature's forehead, I can barely make out the shape of a sleeping Gaara, hanging there like a puppet with its strings cut…

It lets out a roar, an animalistic howl filled with only one desire…

"It…wants to kill us…" I mutter, and my teammates as well as Shikamaru stand next to me, a look of pure disbelief on all their faces…

"It would be prudent for us to consider evacuation." Shino says, and I nod.

The two sand genin take off in a blur of motion…

_Traitorous bastards…_

"You're right, but we have to help the civilians…" I protest.

Then, a man's scream echoes through the arena, a scream of pure pain…

_That scream, it's coming from the viewing platform…_

I turn and look to see the platform surrounded in a purple box, the body of an ANBU member lies near the barrier, burning to death in purple flames…

_A barrier of some kind, but why..._

I activate my Byakugan for a moment, seeing in a few moments that 4 ninja wearing sound headbands stand at the corners of the barrier, and there's a second barrier inside the box, protecting the four shinobi that maintain it. Inside the barrier, I see both the Fourth and Third Hokage standing in ninja fatigues, facing off against…

_Impossible, there's no way..._

The strange grass freak stands inside the barrier, and in front of him stand two men, both wearing old shinobi armor. One wears dark red armor with dark hair, and the other wears blue armor with matching light blue hair, it's their faces I recognize…

_Those faces, they're the same ones that are carved into the mountain, those must be the First and Second Hokage, but how is it possible? Both of them have been dead for longer then I've been alive…_

My attention is only there for a moment before I feel Shino's hand on my shoulder.

"Hinata, it would be prudent for us to assist in moving the civilians…" Shino says, and I nod.

_Whatever's happening to the Hokage, the ANBU will have to deal with it. Right now, there's nothing I can do to help…_

"Let's go…" Naruto says, and I nod.

Together, the 4 of us go into motion…

_Naruto, be careful…_

&

"This way, over here…!" I yell out as loud as I can, waving my arms in a circle, motioning for the people to keep coming…

I stand near the doorway to a shelter hidden deep within the village. Having found it with my Byakugan; Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru have been moving people and getting them to leave towards the cloud of flying kikai that hangs over the ground level entrance into the tunnel. The people that I see run past me and into the tunnels are scarred out of their minds, and they don't seem to care that a demon host is guiding them to safety…

_Guess when you think you're going to die, things like being a Jinchuriki don't matter…_

I keep yelling, waving with my arms for nearly 20 minutes, until the civilians stop coming, and then Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru show up, landing near me without any real sound…

"That's the last of them…" Shikamaru mutters and I nod.

The tunnel opening is like a bomb shelter built into the side of a mountain. The entrance is a pair of double doors normally concealed and the same color as the mountain the shelter is built inside. Naruto and I close the doors and replace the camouflage that conceals the door while Shino and Shikamaru stand together, discussing what we should do…

"We need to find a Jounin, or preferably one of our sensei…" Shikamaru says in a no nonsense tone. "They can tell us what we should do next."

"Shouldn't we help trying to stop that thing?" Naruto asks. "I mean, it's supposed to be that Gaara bastard, and…" He trails off, not really knowing what to say.

"Naruto, you know we're only genin, that thing is a Bijuu, a monster, it's the responsibility of the Jounin and village elders to handle it, and it's our job to make sure the people of the village don't get hurt…"

"But…" Naruto mutters, and there's movement in the trees nearby, the four of us turning toward the source of the noise, with Naruto drawing a kunai before Kurenai-sensei emerges from the trees, 3 masked ninja wearing sound headbands falling from the trees behind her…

_Sensei…_

"There you are…" She mutters, and I see relief cross my teacher's features. "I've been looking for you three since the commotion started, where have you been?" She asks, and Shino is the first to speak.

"We have been assisting with the evacuation of the civilians, Kurenai-sensei…" Shino says, and Kurenai nods.

"That's good, but there's a commotion at the arena, a genjutsu took hold of the people who haven't yet evacuated, and Sasuke Uchiha has disappeared."

"Sasuke-san disappeared?" Shino asks, and Kurenai nods.

"Yes, and right now we're afraid that he went off trying to fight against Shukaku, the sand demon."

"But, why would he want to do that?" I ask, and Kurenai shakes her head.

"I can only figure he wants to fight Gaara as a test to his own abilities, Kakashi has been saying that Sasuke has been showing overt desire to have it out with Gaara, seeing how powerful he was during the preliminary matches…"

"What's the point of that?" Naruto asks. "Why go off and challenge a monster like that thing?"

"Sasuke is far from an average genin, both in ability and mindset." Kurenai informs us. "However, what matters now is that your four have to stop him before he gets himself killed."

"What about you sensei…?" Naruto asks.

Without a word, Kurenai spins around and throws a kunai, the knife hitting something wet in the tree. A body falls, and my teacher grimaces, seeing the sound shinobi that was lying in wait lying dead before her.

"I have to rejoin the other Jounin in repelling this threat, Hinata, use the Byakugan and lead the others. If you find Sasuke before he encounters Shukaku, subdue him and hide somewhere, if he is already engaged in combat, get him away from Shukaku and subdue him by any means necessary."

The four of us nod once, and then my teacher leaves the area, disappearing in a blur of motion. The three of them turn to me, and I feel apprehension fill me when I see the looks for guidance in their eyes…

_Now isn't the time to act like a little girl. You're a shinobi, and they're relying on YOU to help a comrade, are you going to chicken out now and tell them you won't do it?_

My hands come together, and in a moment, the veins around my eyes bulge.

"Let's go…" I say, spotting the Uchiha boy near the edge of my range.

_He's moving quickly, we have to hurry or he'll get there before we can stop him…_

The four of us take to the trees, with me at the front, Naruto behind me to my left, Shikamaru behind me to my right, and Shino rounding out the diamond formation at the rear. I lead them through the trees, keeping my attention on using my Byakugan, my intent to make sure no one sneaks up on us.

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asks no one in particular. "I mean, we can't just land in front of Sasuke and tell him to stop, he's WAY too hard headed."

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru mutters and I intentionally don't say anything.

_He's right though…_

"Our wisest course of action would be to use our unique abilities to their fullest and take Sasuke-san into protective custody if he refuses to listen to logic."

Shikamaru nods.

"With my Shadow Possession, I could stop him in his tracks, but that's all I can do."

"My shadow clones could hold him down…" Naruto offers and Shikamaru shakes his head.

"Your chakra is way too low Naruto…" Shikamaru informs him. "Right, Hinata-chan…?"

I nod once, glancing back to see Naruto's charka network barely glowing, telling me he's used a lot of his chakra in fighting Gaara and helping the survivors…

Naruto reaches into his pocket, and I see him grab what looks like a soldier pill in his pocket. He withdraws the small black pill and pops it into his mouth, chewing it a few times and then swallowing it…

Almost immediately I see chakra flow into his system, brightening his coils and returning his amount of chakra to almost normal…

_ But, when that wears off…_

"I'll be good to go for now…" Naruto says, somewhat more invigorated then before.

"Soldier pills have their disadvantages, Naruto…" Shino warns, and Naruto nods once.

"I know…" He says, and then turns to Shikamaru. "So, what's the plan?"

The boy shakes his head, and then looks ahead a moment.

"We'll use Hinata-san's Byakugan to guide us to Sasuke-san's location. Once we find him, if he hasn't engaged the sand demon I'll use my Shadow Possession to stop him and Shino-san uses his kikai bugs to drain off Sasuke-san's chakra. Once that's done, one of us will pick Sasuke up, and we'll retreat to the village."

"And if Sasuke has engaged the sand demon?" Naruto asks.

"We'll watch, waiting for a moment to pluck Sasuke-san from combat and then we'll either carry him back to the village or we'll use either Shino-san's or Hinata-san's powers to incapacitate him, and then carry him back." Shikamaru finishes.

"All right…!" Naruto says with a grin. "Let's get this done…" Naruto pauses. "As much as I wanna kick the crap out of the Gaara monster, he's way out of my league…"

The word 'monster' echoes in my ears, my eyebrows going wide at his statement.

_Naruto…if he's a monster, then what does that make me?_

Moving through the trees, my thoughts swirl like a raging storm…

&

"He's engaging Shukaku!" I speak as loudly as I dare, not wanting to alert our quarry as to our position.

I see the three boys behind me nod once, a grim expression crossing all of their faces…

_We've been traveling for nearly 20 minutes, and he's already made it to where Shukaku is. I have no idea what he's planning to do, but he's arrived at the sand demon's location. He looks like he's going to try and combat the thing, but I don't know what he plans to do…_

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru mutters. "Can you tell us what he's doing?"

"He looks like he's going to try and fight the demon, though I cannot fathom how he intends to hurt it…"

_Kakashi Hatake is his teacher, maybe, HOPEFULLY, Kakashi taught him something in this last month that will allow him to stand up to that thing. What I don't know is if the four of us have to fight it, how WE'RE going to fight it. I mean, if Naruto could create about 1000 shadow clones, then we could try and fight it with an army. But, with Naruto in the shape he's in, and the sheer physical power of that demon, I don't think even 1000 shadow clones would help or make a difference. _

Looking ahead through the Byakugan, I see Sasuke standing on a branch, staring up at the demon with the Sharingan in his eyes. He grabs 3 kunai with exploding tags attached to them and throws the weapons with pinpoint accuracy. The kunai thrown by Sasuke land near the still sleeping Gaara, and the tags spark, spinning around a moment before they explode in a shower of flame and smoke. Through the Byakugan, I see sand form around the now sleeping Gaara, who hangs from the demon's forehead like a puppet with no strings. The Uchiha looks on with his face in a grim expression, realizing that the sand will still act to protect its precious Jinchuriki, in spite of the fact that the demon has been unleashed…

_What could he be planning? What's he trying to do?_

Those questions and more fill my mind for a moment as the four of us approach Sasuke and his battle with the sand demon. At that moment I push the thoughts from my mind, instead focusing on what's ahead, and what I might have to do in order to save both my comrades from the village, and my friends behind me…

_If it comes down to it, I'll tell them to take Sasuke and run, and then I'll try and unleash the Kyuubi. If that happens, I'll try and make a deal with it that I'll accept it into me as long as it swears it won't harm the village. Hopefully that will work, and at least I'll die protecting the village…_

_Or, you could end up unleashing an evil even stronger then the one the village now faces, and you'll be forever remembered as the shinobi that brought about the destruction of your home…_

I shake my head to clear it, pushing the negative thoughts aside before they can take hold. I know that worrying about what might happen is pointless and a waste of time…

_Besides, I'm going to do everything in my power to prevent it from coming to that. If I have to unleash the Kyuubi, then I'll tell Naruto to kill me after I kill the sand demon if I can't come back to my senses. At least that way he'll be looked at, as a hero like his father and at least, one thing in my life will be remembered positively…_

Ahead, the demon swings its right front paw, trying to crush Sasuke beneath the giant limb. The Uchiha deftly leaps backward, landing several trees away from where he once stood, the sand demon's foot bringing a section of the forest down, trees falling underneath the tremendous weight…

_How can he fight it? How can anyone but me fight against it?_

The demon opens its mouth, inhaling air into the giant cavern it has for a mouth, and exhaling it, infusing wind chakra into the breath. Sasuke leaps from branch to branch, his eyes allowing him to see the chakra in the attacks, avoiding the blasts of lethal air while the forest around him is ripped apart by the demon's attack. Sasuke lands on a branch, the wind having blown most of the surrounding branches apart. He looks up at the demon, his hands coming together and forming different hand signs. Then, he holds his right hand up to his lips, his thumb and pointer fingers forming a circle around his mouth. He exhales, spitting flame from his mouth as a giant ball of fire that flies toward Gaara. The sand around the sand genin flows upward, forming a cone around the boy that protects him from the flame. The heat crystallizes the sand, turning it into glass, and Sasuke begins to make more hand signs. After the short set of signs, he kneels down on one knee, holding his left arm at the wrist with his right hand. His fingers are open, and electricity begins to crackle on his hand, a ball of concentrated lightning chakra forming on his hand…

_That's the special technique Kakashi Hatake made famous, the attack he calls Lighting Edge…_

Sasuke stands up, and then charges forward. He jumps from branch to branch, holding the ball of lightning chakra in his outstretched left hand. He lands on the last branch closest to Shukaku, and then he leaps forward, his feet hitting the sand, and then he begins to run UP the demon itself. He moves quickly, his feet kicking up sand. He charges toward Gaara, his left hand crackling with electricity while he readies to deliver his deadly strike. Sand rises up from the demon's side, forming spikes that try to impale the Uchiha boy during his assent, however Sasuke moves quickly, deftly slipping to the side of each spike, somehow managing to get further and further up the front of the demon without being impaled…

_That must be the power of his Sharingan. Running at that speed without some sort of dojutsu working for you would cause tunnel vision. I know because grandmother told me that with the Byakugan, I never have to worry about such a problem. Apparently, the Uchiha are immune to it as well, with their Sharingan…_

Sasuke slips aside a sand spike, while running up the demon's chin. The Uchiha boy flips up and over the monster's mouth, landing above the sand demon's jaw, he continues his assent.

"Huh, what...?" I see Shukaku mutter.

Sasuke moves closer and closer to his target, and I land on a branch, stopping to watch what I hope is the end to the sand demon's assault…

_If he delivers that attack, he could very well kill Gaara, but if he misses…_

Sasuke yells out in anger, thrusting his left arm forward, ready to drive his hand through the glass shell that's surrounded the sand genin, in hopes of killing the red haired genin. Sasuke's hand pierces the glass, and then there's a large release of electricity, a blast of heat and flame, the roar of the explosion lost to the distance between where I stand and the monster…

"Hinata…?" I hear Naruto's gentle voice, barely a whisper.

The other 3 members of the ad hoc team have stopped around me, Shino standing on a nearby branch with his hands out of his pockets, his kikai flowing out of him and heading into the air. Shikamaru stands near me, his hands in his pants pockets but his eyes scan left and right, searching for a threat. Naruto stands next to me, his right hand resting on my left shoulder.

"Hinata…?" He asks again, this time his voice possesses more then a hint of concern.

I keep my attention focused on what's happening in the distance, but I shake my head.

"I'm fine Naruto, something's happening up ahead…"

"What's going on?" Shikamaru bluntly asks.

I focus my attention, knowing that these genin are relying on me to provide them with the best intelligence possible…

"Sasuke used a lightning attack against Gaara, and it's possible that he managed to kill him…" I speak tentatively, looking through my kekkei genkai toward the action ahead…

_It was brilliant strategy, and it's no wonder he was the second best genin from my graduating class. He used fire-based jutsu to turn the sand into glass after it wrapped around Gaara to try and shield him. Once it became glass, Gaara was unable to manipulate the sand and then Sasuke used his lightning jab to attack Gaara when the boy is already wrapped in a glass shell. _

The smoke and dust begins to settle, and I look through the Byakugan, trying to find some sort of clue as to the outcome of the match…

That becomes clear a moment later when I see Sasuke with his right hand plunged into the glass wall that surrounds Gaara. Using my Byakugan, I see inside the glass wall, and the sand that has filled every inch of space between the glass wall and the sand genin, with Sasuke's hand stuck in that space, a large chunk of glass having formed around his hand due to the extreme heat given off by his jutsu…

_He couldn't do it, he used such a powerful skill, and he couldn't do it. Even though the sand demon couldn't raise an external wall of sand to protect Gaara, it did somehow manage to raise a wall inside the previous wall, there's no way Sasuke-kun could've known, unless he had a Byakugan…_

Sasuke strains his arm, trying to pull it free from its glass prison. He pulls his arm free with a heave, and then he jumps away from the sand demon moments before giant spikes of sand shoot out, trying to impale the boy. He flips away from the giant sand demon, landing on a tree and looking up at the giant before him, an expression of horror on his face…

"We need to move!" I say quickly, taking off from the branch without hesitation.

"Hey, Hinata…!" Naruto yells, and I see him reach his arm out in an attempt to stop me.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino all jump from their respective branches, following me toward the giant sand demon. The three of us move from tree to tree, a sense of urgency filling me and spurning me to move faster. I move from branch to branch, splitting my attention between what's happening around me and what's happening ahead…

"Hinata, what's going on?" Naruto asks, the three of them having caught up to me in our trek.

"Sasuke-kun tried to use a powerful jutsu on Gaara, only it didn't work. His attempt was clever, but the sand demon is just too powerful."

"Great…" Naruto mutters. "It'll be my luck, dying to save that ungrateful bastard…"

Even though I make no outward movement, inside I shake my head.

_No, you won't die Naruto, I won't let it happen. I'd sooner unleash the Kyuubi and use its power in a sacrifice to kill this thing then let it kill you…_

"I do not intend to die, and it would be wise for you to learn from my example, Naruto…" Shino says in a flat tone.

"Do you always talk like that?" Shikamaru asks, Shino's right eyebrow rising slightly.

"Is there a difficulty with my speech mannerisms?" He asks.

Shikamaru shakes his head no.

"You could just consider saying things normally, instead of using those big words…"

"Proper communication is essential…" Shino responds, and Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders.

"Whatever…" The Nara finishes and I clear my throat.

"We're getting close; we need to get ready to implement our plan…" I inform them.

Suddenly, the three of them are all business, and I'm no longer dealing with three 12-year-old boys, I'm dealing with three trained shinobi of the leaf village…

We have a quick planning session, the four of us going over our plan one time before we get close enough to the sand giant. The four of us split up, Naruto and I moving together while Shikamaru and Shino move as a two-man team. The entire time, Sasuke has been on the move, hurling tagged kunai toward Shukaku with little to no effect, and dodging the demon's counter attacks. His body now has several cuts and gouges along his extremities as well as his shoulders and his ribs. The boy stares at the demon before him, his mind not believing that the monster could take so much damage and appear unfazed.

A shadow clone of Naruto leaps from the trees, letting out a yell of anger toward the Uchiha boy.

Both Sasuke and the demon turn, letting out gasps of surprise.

"You're coming with me!" The clone yells, grasping the Uchiha by the collar.

Anger immediately fills the dark haired boy's face.

"Get out of here, THIS IS MY FIGHT!" Sasuke yells back, punching the shadow clone in the face.

The clone disappears in a puff of smoke, and without warning a black cloud of kikai fall from a tree branch above Sasuke. The Uchiha looks up in time to see the bugs spread across his body, and Shikamaru extends his shadow toward Sasuke, using the shadows the trees make on the forest floor to extend his range. Shino stands with both of his arms extended, his hands open and his fingers almost straight, commanding his swarm not to touch the black chakra controlled shadow that stretches toward Sasuke. The Uchiha boy flails his arms, swatting at the crawling kikai that feast on his chakra, but before he can swat many of them away, Shikamaru's shadow meets Sasuke's…

"Success…" The Nara boy mutters, standing up, and Sasuke mimics the action immediately, the kikai still crawling on him…

"Naruto, now…" I mutter.

Both Naruto and I leap from our hiding spot, Naruto's weights no longer encumbering him as he moves like a blur of motion while Shino's kikai continue their feast. Naruto scoops Sasuke up over his shoulder, and I see Shino's face contort in concentration, the boy closing his hands slightly, ordering the swarm to remain on their current target and not spread to Naruto.

"I got him!" Naruto yells, and my teammate takes off, heading back the way we came…

"What?" Shukaku mutters, and then it sees Naruto carrying Sasuke away, much slower now that Naruto has the burden of the last Uchiha on him. "You won't get away!"

The demon opens its mouth, taking air into its lungs. I reach for my pouch, withdrawing a tagged kunai, sparking the fuse. Both Shikamaru and Shino take off, running back toward Naruto according to the plan…

_Five second fuse, and then BOOM…_

I hurl the knife, aiming for the monster's chin. The knife hits as Shukaku prepares to exhale, and the tag detonates, causing the monster's head to snap back. The creature blows the air out into the sky, and then the demon snaps its head forward, looking down at me with an evil glare.

"You…" It mutters.

I look up at the creature with my Byakugan, feeling the cold fear leak down my spine…

"If you want Naruto, you'll have to kill me…"

"Naruto…" The demon mutters, more a growl then anything else.

_This thing, it's going to kill me, Naruto, Shino, and everyone I care about, unless I stop it…_

Then, an all too familiar voice whispers in my ear.

"Do you want power…?" It asks.

&

The next thing I know, I'm standing before the bars, the demonic face of the Kyuubi no Kitsune visible behind the cage.

"I'm here again…" I mutter, and a giant set of white teeth appears below the bars.

"Do you desire power, my host?" It asks, and I nod.

"Yes, I need power; I have to stop that monster!"

"Hmm…" The Kyuubi mutters. "Would you be willing to become another demon to stop it?"

I nod once.

"If it's to protect Naruto and village, I would do anything!"

I see the wicked white teeth on the demon smile.

"Good…one day, you and I may come to an understanding, girl…"

I see tendrils of chakra, colored the same red color of the Kyuubi's eyes leak from the bars, powerful enough to be seen by the naked eye.

Immediately, my internal alarms go off, telling me that something VERY wrong is about to happen…

"Relax brat…" The demon tells me. "If you don't, I cannot give you the power you so desire…"

I try to relax, in spite of my own screaming instincts. The first tendrils of red touch me, and I feel an energized feeling shoot into my body. I close my eyes, relaxing my body, and I feel more of the energy shoot into me…

&

My eyes open, and I feel power flowing through my body. I look up, seeing the giant demon looking down at me with anger in its eyes, and for the first time, I don't feel any fear. Another emotion altogether burns in my veins. I clench my fists, feeling my fingers dig into my palms.

"BASTARD…!" I yell out in rage.

The Kyuubi's chakra fills my body, and I can feel it creating an aura around me. The releases on the weights snap, falling from my wrists while the leg weights slip off my legs and down to the forest floor. The weights hit the ground with a loud thud, though I hardly pay any attention to it. I leap from the tree, the branch snapping beneath my feet after I leap from it. I head toward the monster's face, and the demon raises its claw, swiping at me with its 20 foot wide left paw. The giant paw hits me, but I don't feel the impact or the air against my skin while I fly through the air, impacting a large tree and knocking it over while I go through it. I hear the BOOM of my body striking the ground, but I don't feel it. I get up, hunching forward and getting down on all fours. I feel my blood boiling while I stare up at the monster before me.

_Kill, kill, kill, kill, KILL…!_

I charge forward, running on all fours like a fox, my unrestrained speed combined with the enhancing effect of the demon's chakra allowing me to move much faster then I thought possible. I cross the distance in a moment, climbing up the front of the demon in a similar manner to the way Sasuke Uchiha did earlier. With my Byakugan I can see the shifting sand, and I avoid the rising spikes, heading straight toward the cause of all my anger, all my frustration…

"DIE…!" I yell out, skirting to left of a rising spike.

I'm on Gaara in a moment, my right hand wraps around his neck, and I feel my hand squeeze while my right bicep flexes. I pull on the sand genin, wanting to rip the boy free from his sand home, and tear his head off…

I strain my muscles to feel the sand genin begin to slide from within the sand monster's body. The sand demon yells out in fear and tries to impale me to stop me from harming the red haired genin. I feel Gaara slip free from his sand womb when his eyes open, his face beginning to turn blue. His hands come up, scratching uselessly against my forearm while the giant mountain of sand begins to crumble.

"NO…" I seethe, glaring at the now awake red haired boy with violence in my eyes. "You don't die THAT easily…"

I turn around, holding him out behind me with my right arm, I hurl the boy forward over my head like a ball, throwing the boy with as much force as I can muster, sending him flying like a launched kunai. Through my Byakugan I see the boy hit a tree and go through it, hitting the ground with a resonating BOOM. I'm off of the quickly shrinking mound of sand in a moment, my arms and legs propelling me across the ground with a trail of dust being kicked up behind me. I'm on top of the boy in a moment, seeing Gaara stuck into the ground head first, his legs pointing up into the air at an angle. I rip him from the ground, not bothering to use the Gentle Fist, I hold him to the ground and I punch him, again and again, my fist slamming into his face while I scream in rage, feeling a psychotic pleasure pump through my veins while I beat on the now defenseless sand genin. I throw the boy again, sending him flying through three trees before he comes to a stop, I throw my left arm forward and somehow I extend an arm of chakra that snakes through the forest, grabbing the boy and pulling him to me. I hold the sand genin up, gripping him by the neck with my left hand. My teeth press together, my breath coming out with a seething noise. I raise my right hand, my fist curled, my knuckles white, and I'm ready to send my fist THROUGH his head when I hear the sand genin speak…

"Those eyes…" He mutters. "They're the same as mine…"

THAT causes me to stop, like a sudden torrential downpour that calms the flames of my anger. Looking at him, I feel the energy of the Kyuubi's chakra fizzle out in my veins, Gaara's bloody and broken face bringing me back from the insanity caused by the demon's influence. Without the demon's influence, I can see the results of my handiwork displayed across Gaara's body, a testament to my evil tendencies…

His face is bloody and broken, his nose broken and seeping blood, his face nothing more then a swollen lump extending from his shoulders. His clothes are tattered and ripped, with cuts all along his body. Through all the damage, his eyes are the most disturbing…

_He looks happy, like he wants me to keep going…_

"Your eyes…" He mutters. "They were like mine; I thought I was the only one…"

_He must have a Bijuu that gives him psychotic tendencies. Though, his relationship with his Bijuu is different from mine, since he can apparently unleash his Bijuu, while I can't unleash the Kyuubi…_

I let him drop, the sand genin falling to the ground with a thud. His body is limp, but his eyes are wide open, and above everything else, his eyes are the most disturbing…

_He looks happy, like he wants me to keep going, like he wants to die…_

"My family…" He begins. "They never loved me, they never cared about me. I was born to be the savior of my village, the shinobi that could defeat any foe, but as I grew, my father the Kazekage began to fear me, the only one who cared about me was my mother's brother, Yashamaru…" He tells me through fat lips. "Yashamaru showed me kindness, compassion, and it was with him that I thought I had a family, but one night he came to me, and tried to assassinate me, on my father's orders. He sent an assassin to kill me every night after that, and it was then that I found my purpose, my reason to live…"

"What reason is that?" I ask, taking a step back from him.

"To kill, that is my purpose. There's no other reason that I would have to kill so many in my life…"

I shake my head.

"Killing people can't be your purpose, people aren't born to kill."

He barely shakes his head.

"What other purpose could I have, when the only thing in this world I can do is killing?"

"Be a shinobi; use your ability to kill for the benefit of others." I tell him in simple terms. "If you show the people of your village that you mean them well, then they'll accept you, and you could even be a family…"

"Family…?" He asks.

Before I can answer, the one called Temari appears next to him, her fan in hand, ready to defend her sibling to the last breath, when Gaara speaks up.

"Temari, we're leaving…" He says, and the sand kunoichi looks surprised.

"Gaara…" She mutters, looking to her sibling, and then to me.

I take a step back, and the sand kunoichi returns her fan to her back. She picks up her younger sibling, and the one called Kankuro appears a moment later next to Gaara. The two uninjured shinobi pick their sibling up, and the girl looks back at me.

For a moment the blonde girl stares at me, and then the three of them disappear in a blur of motion, leaving me alone…

A few moments later, Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru appear near me, Sasuke Uchiha bound and gagged over Naruto's left shoulder. The Uchiha boy appears to be unconscious, as he isn't moving and isn't protesting Naruto carrying him around like a bag of potatoes…

"Everyone…" I mutter, avoiding their eyes.

"We should return to village, our assistance may be required with the repulsion of the assault."

I nod, and I see everyone else do so as well.

"I'll bring up the rear…" I volunteer, and the four of us plus the unconscious Sasuke take to the air.

&

The four of us are silent while we travel back to the village, and I keep my attention around us with my Byakugan, doing everything I can to avoid staring at the backs of the three boys, and the thoughts those backs inspire in my mind…

_They think I'm a monster, they have to. After what I did to Gaara, they have to think that I'm a monster. Shikamaru is probably looking back at me every few seconds, thinking that I'll lash out and try to kill him…_

Naruto is in the lead of the formation, with Shikamaru and Shino on the left and right of the formation while I bring up the rear. Shikamaru looks to Shino, and then to Naruto, and both of the boys look back at him. The three of them stop, and I do so as well, barely able to maintain the formation.

"What're we stopping for?" I ask, and Shikamaru looks at both Naruto and Shino, and then his eyes come back to me.

"Look, this isn't my style, and it really isn't any of my business how you defeated that Gaara guy, but, what did happen to you? You turned red, and gained that fox like aura around your body, and you were so fast…"

Both Naruto and Shino look at each other, and I can tell from the expression on their faces that they want to say something, but the 4th Hokage's decree prevents them from saying anything. Shikamaru eyed both of them a moment before turning his gaze to me.

"What's going on?" He asks.

I sigh once.

"Shikamaru-kun, do you remember what day the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked the village?" I ask.

"The Kyuubi…?" He begins. "It attacked December 27th, why?"

"Do you remember what the teachers at the academy said happened to it?"

"It was sealed, inside of a newborn baby, because they couldn't kill it."

"I was born on December 27th, and there's no record of any other Hyuga having eyes like mine."

For a moment the boy is silent while his exceptional mind puts the pieces together, and then his eyes show recognition.

"You mean you're the child that the demon fox with sealed into?" He asks, and I nod once.

"Yes, I am the one the Kyuubi was sealed into, the 4th Hokage decreed that people couldn't talk about it, and I'm the only one who can tell anyone."

"So, you used the Kyuubi's power to defeat that sand monster?" Shikamaru asks, and I nod.

"The seal on my body allows the demon's chakra to flow into my body, and I can talk to it sometimes…"

"You spoke to the Kyuubi No Kitsune?" He asks, and I nod.

Both Naruto and Shino don't appear surprised by what I'm saying, though Shikamaru looks like he's never been more surprised in his life.

"It's happened multiple times, though it only happens when I'm in danger, or when I feel like I'm going to die…"

"So, you used it to defeat that demon, but didn't use it during the exams?" He asks.

I shake my head no.

"I didn't use the Kyuubi's power to defeat Neji-nii-san, though I could've." I explain. "The last time I drew on the Kyuubi's chakra before this was when we were assigned to a C rank mission…"

"I see…" The Nara mutters and I look to see Sasuke Uchiha still unconscious over Naruto's left shoulder.

"Do you think you can not tell anyone about me being the Jinchuriki?" I ask, and Shikamaru nods.

"All right then, let's head back…" Naruto says, and the three of us nod.


	16. Chapter 16

Omake: Of Snakes and Monkeys

(Well, this is Chapter 16, and I've officially closed the beta competition and found a replacement. This is his beta of Chapter 16, and he seems to be willing to continue doing this, so enjoy Chapter 16, and tell me about the Omake. If you can't deal with Alcoholism, then I might suggest you not read this particular chapter. Also, just a note, BDU is an acronym that means 'Battle Dress Uniform' or something a soldier wears into battle. I use it to reference the ninja uniform shinobi like Kakashi and Asuma wear around the village and on missions. Anyway, this is chapter 16, and if any of you are reading this, I've added a progress bar to my profile for this story, it says how many pages of the next chapter I've typed and when I've sent it off to my beta. I haven't updated it since I got both revisions back. However, once I post this, I'll be updating.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Omake: Of Snakes and Monkeys

My name is Minato Namikaze, and I'm the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Right now, I sit on the Hokage's balcony, my predecessor the Third Hokage sits behind me and to my right, enjoying himself as he watches the Chunin exams unfold.

"Hinata Hyuga had an entertaining match. For a moment there it appeared as though she was going to lose when Neji attacked her with that Gentle Fist technique, but she managed to defeat him in the end, didn't she?" Sarutobi asks me.

I nod once, glancing over to the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand. The man looks on with cold and emotionless eyes. He wears the white robes of a Kage, the symbol for wind white against a blue square at the front corner of his hat. I wear the robes of the Kage, underneath which I wear my BDU along with my ninja vest. However, I do not wear the hat the Kazekage wears.

_It makes me look stupid when I'm known as the Yellow Flash, and I'm wearing a white hat…_

"All the matches so far have been enjoyable." I comment.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Sarutobi smile.

"Naruto's match was most impressive as well." The Third points out. "His defeat of the sand Jinchuriki was most impressive. I see that you've been working with him, he's shaping up to become the Leaf's Second Yellow Flash, you must be proud."

I smile, feeling a swelling of pride at seeing my own son defeat the sand village's rumored 'ultimate weapon.'

"I would've preferred to see the last Uchiha in these exams." The Kazekage says, and I glance at him, my expression showing my confusion.

"Sasuke Uchiha was eliminated in the preliminary matches by Shino Aburame; I thought you were made aware of this, Kazekage-dono."

The man nods.

"I know; it just would've been an interesting match to see the vaunted Uchiha clan face off against our Gaara, not to say Gaara's defeat at your son's hands wasn't impressive."

I open my mouth to say something, when I hear a loud unnatural roar echo throughout the village.

"What in the world is that…?" I mutter.

Looking off into the distance, I see a giant four legged cat like monster. I motion for the Jounin guarding me to go toward the demon, and the bodyguards nod, taking off toward the sand monster. I glance toward the Kazekage, and his 2 bodyguards remain around him.

"Kazekage-dono, wouldn't it be wise to send your bodyguards to assist in repulsing that demon?"

The man looks at me and I get the distinct impression that he's smirking behind that veil, like he wants all of this to happen.

"Kazekage-dono…" I hear Sarutobi mutter, when the two bodyguards standing next to the Kazekage split in half.

Four shapes emerge from the two bodies, and I quickly recognize four different shinobi that take up position at four corners of a box around the viewing platform. They raise their arms, muttering something about a flame formation when a purple box of flame appears around the platform. A moment later, another box appears inside the first, cutting Sarutobi and I off from attacking the four shinobi inside the barrier.

"Kazekage-dono, what is going on?" Sarutobi demands as the Kazekage stands up slowly. Deliberately.

"Ah, it's such a shame that things had to work out this way." The Kazekage says with his voice suddenly different. "If only Gaara had managed to transform in the arena, he could've caused so much more damage."

"That voice…" Sarutobi mutters.

The Kazekage grabs his hat and removes it, then pulls the veil off of his face, the mask disappearing like a snake shedding its skin; and the face below it is one I recognize. Sarutobi gasps.

"Orochimaru." Sarutobi mutters, confirming my suspicions.

_So, the rogue Sannin has returned to the village after all these years…_

I grasp the robes of the Kage, tossing them aside, revealing my shinobi uniform to the older rogue ninja. The robes flutter in the air, and then touch the purple wall. The instant the clothing touches the barrier, the clothes burst into flames and burn in a scant few seconds.

"It would be wise to avoid that barrier, unless you wish to burn to death." Orochimaru informs us.

Sarutobi shucks his robes, revealing the older black ninja dress that was popular during his youth. The man stands upright, taking a taijutsu stance.

"Minato, I ask that you stand aside in this battle. Orochimaru was my student once, and it was my inaction that allowed him to leave our village those many years ago. Orochimaru is my sin, and it is my duty to prevent that sin from passing on to the next generation."

I see the Snake smirk.

"Ah Sarutobi-sensei, I see you still think you can stand against me."

Sarutobi puts his hands together, forming a quick succession of hand signs. He inhales, preparing to unleash his jutsu.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Missile!" He shouts, expelling the air from his lungs.

The air leaves his lips, fire element chakra imbuing the air and igniting it, forming it into a dragon shaped projectile that rapidly flies toward Orochimaru. The fire blasts over Orochimaru, and the human shape inside the flame screams, Orochimaru letting out a scream that just doesn't feel right.

_He's faking it, is he doing it to appease Sarutobi?_

The flames burn and flicker, and Sarutobi turns away from where Orochimaru once was, his eyes going past me, to the empty space behind me on the rooftop.

"You can cut the act Orochimaru, I know that you aren't going to fall that easily."

I hear the snake Sannin 'humph' before the floor ten feet behind me begins to liquefy, and Orochimaru comes up out of the ground, the ground turning to mud that slides off of his body, revealing that he's now wearing a yellow robe and black shirt with black pants and a rope tied around his waist.

"I only wanted to make you feel pleasant Sarutobi-sensei," He says with a smirk. "Since today is the last day of your wretched life."

The Snake Sannin puts his hands together, making a quick sequence of hand signs that I don't recognize. I brace myself, dropping into a taijutsu stance a moment before my eyes change from a crystalline blue to a shimmering yellow.

Orochimaru maintains the last sign in the sequence, and before him I see the ground crack. A wooden coffin pops up slowly out of the ground on Orochimaru's left, the kanji for one marked on the lid of the coffin. Orochimaru opens his right hand, and the ground beneath his hand cracks, a second coffin appearing next to the first one. This coffin is marked with the kanji for two and I can't imagine what the two coffins are for.

_Coffins marked one and two...what is that snake in the grass bastard thinking?_

The lids fall forward, revealing the contents of the two coffins to both Sarutobi and I. At first I don't know what I'm looking at, seeing the two middle-aged men standing in the coffins. The one on my right wears old style red armor with dark black hair, though he looks like walking death, his skin a gray color, the armor cracked and broken.

The contents of the other coffin are different and yet similar to the first one. The occupant of the second coffin wears blue armor and has long gray hair. Like the occupant of the first coffin, the second man's armor is cracked and broken, his skin the same color as the other.

"It can't be." Sarutobi mutters.

"Sarutobi…" The red armored shinobi says, looking at Sarutobi and then to me. "And someone else. Though if you're here, you must be Sarutobi's successor." He astutely observes.

"Does this mean that we'll have to fight each other, Sarutobi?" The blue clad shinobi asks.

"Those faces." Sarutobi says and it's then that the gears click, and I realize who the two men must be.

_They have to be the First and Second Hokages. Sarutobi was alive when they were both around, that's why he recognizes the two of them. If Orochimaru plans on using the two of them during battle, he has to have some kind of jutsu formula that forces them to obey him._

As if to answer my thoughts, Orochimaru reaches into his pockets, withdrawing two kunai that have tags attached to them. At this distance I can see the jutsu formula written on the tags, and I can tell that it must have something to do with the fact that the two men look like they're dead.

_If I let him attach those kunai to those men, I can't imagine what he'll try and do._

Orochimaru moves to place a kunai into each of his zombie like summons. I move forward, knowing full well that this fight will become much harder for the both Sarutobi and I if I don't stop him from using this technique.

I'm there in a moment. My fist meets his face in a blur of motion, the Snake Sannin appearing to leap backward a second before the sound of my fist impacting his face. The Snake man flies backward, heading toward the interior purple wall. For a moment, I hope that Orochimaru might hit the wall, igniting his body in purple flames, killing him. My hope is dashed when I see snakes shoot out from Orochimaru's sleeves, the reptiles lancing toward the ground and biting into the rooftop. The snakes' bodies go taut and Orochimaru's body jerks in mid air, the Snake Sannin quickly falling to the ground with a grunt.

"Sarutobi, destroy them now!" I yell out, looking over my left shoulder toward my predecessor.

The old man nods once, and I move in a blur of motion as Sarutobi makes hand signs. By the time I appear next to Sarutobi, he's already ready to execute his technique.

He inhales air into his lungs, and then exhales, using the Dragon Flame Missile technique again. The dragon shaped attack impacts the two wooden coffins and the two dead men occupying them. I watch as the coffins and their occupants burn, and through the flames I see a layer of dust fall away from the zombies, revealing two young faces rather than the faces of the two Hokage.

_Did he kill those people to try and revive the Hokage? Is that how his jutsu works?_

"Minato," Sarutobi says, a solemn tone to his old weathered voice. "I appreciate your assistance. I just couldn't act. Those things looked exactly like the First and Second and seeing their faces after all these years I..."

I shake my head, keeping my eyes on the Snake shinobi behind the flames.

"It's understandable, Sarutobi-sama."

The wet, spine tingling sounds of something unnatural happening in the direction of Orochimaru pulls the attention of both Sarutobi and I, and I see the man standing with his face pointed up toward the sky, his mouth wide open. I see a snake crawl its way out of Orochimaru's throat, the lizard itself opening its mouth. A sword slides out of the snake's mouth, the legendary weapon that even I recognize.

_That's the Kusanagi No Tsurugi, the legendary sword._

Orochimaru extends his arm up, grasping the hilt of the Kusanagi with his right hand. The Snake Sannin swings the sword around in front of him, the weapon coming to a stop at his right side. The snake slides back into his throat, and seeing it makes me want to gag.

_It's no wonder Sarutobi speaks so reverently of him. If he's learned to do THAT through ninjutsu then I hate to see what else he's capable of._

The snake glares at the two of us with his yellow eyes, and I see Sarutobi grimace, dropping into a taijutsu stance. The man keeps his eyes on Orochimaru, the air around the former Hokage deathly serious.

"So Sarutobi, it seems you can't defeat me without the help of that dandelion standing next to you." Orochimaru taunts.

_So, I'm a dandelion now? He insults me by calling me a yellow flower?_

"Minato," Sarutobi begins, keeping his eyes on Orochimaru. "I want you remain out of this fight, Orochimaru is my responsibility, and I want to be the one to put an end to him, even if it costs me my life."

"Sarutobi, this village needs you." I retort, and I see the old man smile.

"I have passed the mantle of Hokage to man who deserves the title just as much as I and the village needs him more then it needs me, a remnant from the last generation."

"More like fossil, you old fool." Orochimaru chimes in.

Sarutobi bites his thumb, drawing a small amount of blood from his finger. The man's hands come together, forming a sequence that I've never seen before, and then he slams his hand down on the ground, the seal for a summoning jutsu appearing beneath his hand.

"Summoning Jutsu!" He yells out, and a there's a loud pop along with a puff of smoke.

When the smoke clears, I see a strangely dressed humanoid monkey. The creature stands hunched over, as tall as I am with dark brown fur covering the exposed parts of his body. The summoned creature even wears a leaf headband and shinobi armor.

"Monkey King, Enma!" Sarutobi declares, and the creature looks at Orochimaru a moment, and then back to Sarutobi.

"So, you've summoned me to help you put an end to him, haven't you Sarutobi?" The monkey asks, speaking perfectly, and Sarutobi nods once.

"Yes, today is the day I put an end to Orochimaru and all of his ambitions, and I need your help to do it, Enma."

The monkey kings nods once.

"I will do what I can for you, Sarutobi." The monkey responds.

"Enma, transform!" Sarutobi yells out, and the monkey nods, exploding in a puff of smoke.

Sarutobi reaches into the smoke, grabbing something there, and withdraws a giant black battle staff, easily as long as the old man is tall.

_What in the world is that?_

Sarutobi holds the giant staff as though the weapon doesn't weigh more than a feather. Watching the old man clutch the giant weapon, I can't help but wonder just how old my predecessor really is.

"Enma, I want you to be as strong as possible." Sarutobi says, and I see an eye appear on the black shaft of the giant staff.

"That's the Kusanagi Sarutobi; no matter how strong I become, that sword can still cut me."

Sarutobi nods once.

"I know Enma…"

The eye on the staff closes, and Sarutobi holds the staff behind his head on his shoulders. Orochimaru smiles as Sarutobi shifts the staff from his shoulders and then charges forward. Sarutobi gets within striking range, and swings his staff in a backhand motion. Orochimaru intercepts his staff with the Kusanagi. The two weapons clang out, and then Orochimaru pushes Enma from his sword, the man swinging the Kusanagi in a backhand motion, looking to slice Sarutobi's head from his shoulders. The old man ducks down, the Kusanagi cutting into the black streamers hanging from his neck. Sarutobi grips the staff at one end with both hands, swinging it counter clockwise, aiming to sweep Orochimaru's legs out from underneath him. Orochimaru flips backward, going into a one handed hand stand after Sarutobi has already swung Enma beneath him, Orochimaru coming down on the balls of his feet while Sarutobi follows through with his swing. Sarutobi is standing straight in a moment, shifting the staff in his hands and holding it across his body. Sarutobi grimaces when Orochimaru charges, swinging the sword and aiming for Sarutobi's head. Sarutobi intercepts the slash, and Orochimaru quickly spins the sword around, aiming for Sarutobi's opposite side. The former Hokage blocks Orochimaru's second slash, and then sends his foot out, kicking his former student in the stomach, knocking Orochimaru back. All of this happens in a moment, their movements belying their respective ages, and if I didn't know better, I'd say both of them were using transformation techniques to conceal their age.

_But I know better, these two are both exactly like Jiraiya-sensei, unwilling to let age dull their abilities._

Sarutobi rests the staff in front of him against his left shoulder. Sarutobi's arms go around the staff, his hands coming together in a sequence of signs that I know all too well.

_That sequence, it can't be!_

Before I even know what to think, Orochimaru charges in, and Sarutobi is ready for him. Orochimaru swings his sword, and Sarutobi intercepts the strike with his staff. The two weapons clang; and then snakes slither out from Orochimaru's sleeves. Sarutobi chooses that instant to move, ducking and then releasing the staff. Orochimaru's slash pushes the staff over, and Sarutobi moves inward, slipping his arms over Orochimaru's right arm, now stretched across his body. I see Sarutobi grimace, the snakes that slithered out of Orochimaru's sleeves biting into the old man's body. Then, Orochimaru's eyes go wide.

"Old man, what are you doing?" The Snake Sannin demands, a sudden desperation in his voice.

_He must be using the Dead Demon Consuming sealing technique that I created, the same technique that binds the Kyuubi to Hinata, and took the life of her father._

"This fight is over Orochimaru." Sarutobi declares, and the resignation in his voice tells me more then I want to know.

_He's planning to die, whether by the Shinigami or by the poison from the snakes that just bit him._

"What is that thing, old man?" Orochimaru demands, his eyes fixed behind Sarutobi, where the Shinigami must be floating.

"Minato…I have one final favor to ask you." Sarutobi begins, and I already know what he's going to ask before he says it.

_No, I don't want this, I WON'T deal with this!_

I feel tears begin to fall down my cheeks when Sarutobi speaks again.

"Minato, I want you to kill Orochimaru while I have him, my body won't last, and I haven't the strength to kill him myself."

_No, not again. Why am I always the one who has to watch others sacrifice themselves when I should be the one to die?_

"I will Sarutobi-sama." I agree, the tears falling down my cheeks.

The kunai is in my hand in a moment, the Snake Sannin having not taken his eyes off of the Shinigami.

"Now Minato, while I can still hold him."

I nod once, and in a moment I'm behind Orochimaru with the kunai poised to strike the Snake shinobi. With a single swift cut, Orochimaru's head splits open, and I see Sarutobi smile when the top of his former student's skull hits the floor. A cross section of Orochimaru's brain is displayed for Sarutobi and me to see. The old man smiles as he looks down at his former student's brain, and then the Shinigami goes to work, taking Sarutobi's soul to the underworld.

The old man falls backward, a smile on his face while Orochimaru's body falls forward on top of his former teacher. Blood oozes from Orochimaru's head, the barrier around the area disappears, the four sound shinobi appearing in front of me, each of them has a look of shocked awe on their faces.

"Orochimaru-sama…?" I hear the six armed one mutter.

I glare at the four of them, the blood stained kunai still held tight in my grip.

Before they can move, before I can even speak, five ANBU members appear near me, forming a line between the sound ninja and Sarutobi's body.

"If you insist on fighting, you'll be dealing with us." One of the ANBU declares.

The four sound shinobi look at each other, and then they look to the five ANBU ahead of them.

"You all will pay for killing Orochimaru-sama!" The Six armed shinobi yells out before the four of them disappear in a blur of motion.

_Sarutobi, how could you? _

Chapter 16: Black Clouds…

The trip back to the village is a quiet one. The four of us that are conscious aren't talking and the bound Uchiha remains motionless on Naruto's left shoulder. If the added weight is doing anything to slow the Namikaze child down, Naruto doesn't let it show. Now that Shikamaru knows my secret and doesn't seem to care, I have an extremely different opinion of the Nara boy.

"We're here." I mutter, and the three boys nod once.

The four of us pass through the front gate, and the village shown to me through my Byakugan sends a chill down my spine.

The village itself still stands, but nearly every block is damaged, buildings toppled and walls smashed through. Bodies lie strewn about the streets, with blood splattered everywhere from the countless shinobi against shinobi battles that occurred. One section of the wall around the village is smashed in, and I cannot fathom whatever caused that damage.

A nearby shinobi notices us; the dark haired ninja wears the uniform of the leaf village, and has the eyes of a Hyuga. Looking at the older man, I cannot name him, but I know that he is part of one of the branch families that is still loyal to my grandmother and I.

"Hinata-dono!" He practically yells, recognizing me instantly.

He jogs toward us, and the three genin that stand near me all turn their attention to the Chunin branch family member. None of them speak, and I can only assume that's because I'm related to the man somehow, and they think it would be better if I spoke to him instead of them.

"You're…" I begin, and he shakes his head.

"We have never been introduced, I am Hirasha, and I am Hiraiga's father."

THAT name I do recognize.

"What happened? Do you have any news of grandmother?" I ask, and Hirasha shakes his head.

"I was assigned to patrol duty, so I was nowhere near the arena when everything happened. Unfortunately I have no information that pertains to Hibana-sama or anyone in the arena."

_What are you worrying about your grandmother for? She's stronger then you are and is more then capable of handling herself. What you should be more concerned about is the village and Hokage-sama._

"What happened?" I ask, and the Hyuga Chunin shakes his head.

"I was on patrol when a giant multi-headed boa came crashing through the western wall of the village. It attacked everyone it saw, and didn't stop no matter what we threw at it. However, when Jiraiya-sama arrived he summoned a giant frog that did battle with the creature, and managed to slay it."

_So, the perverted old man actually did something to help the village after all._

"What about you, Hinata-dono?" He asks. "Where have you been, and what's wrong with your comrade?"

I look down a moment, trying to think of something to say that won't make it sound like Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino and I all went charging off like idiots into a life or death situation.

"Sasuke Uchiha left without orders to do battle with the sand demon Shukaku." I explain to the branch family member. "Naruto Namikaze, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara and I were instructed by Jounin Kurenai Yuuhi to retrieve him. We have done so."

"I see…" Hirasha mutters, and then nods. "I have work to do, please see to it that Uchiha-san gets medical treatment."

He makes hand signs, and then disappears in a puff of smoke. For a moment, none of us move, until I feel Shino's left hand touch my right shoulder for a moment.

"Was it wise to enlighten him as to the source of our mission as well as its purpose?" Shino asks, his hand already back in his left jacket pocket.

I nod once.

_He's thinking that we can't trust anyone in my clan, when it's only the people connected with Hizashi._

"It'll be fine." I assuage him. "He's one of the few who are still loyal to the clan."

Shino nods once and it's then that Naruto speaks up.

"We should take Sasuke to the hospital." Naruto suggests. "He needs to be checked out."

I nod along with Shikamaru and Shino, and together the four of us move to the hospital, and with my Byakugan I can see the medical institution from a distance, and I can tell that things are going to be anything but simple.

We arrive in front of the hospital, the large white building bustling with people. Doctors and nurses scurry about, and as the four of us walk inside with our unconscious passenger, I feel a chill run up my spine at the smell of disinfectant still strong in the air.

The lobby of the hospital is filled with people, nearly every available place to sit and every chair filled with a body. The people are all wounded, some worse then others. The nurse behind the front desk appears calm, though nurses move behind her, going in and out from behind the desk and into the hospital proper. The nurse wears a white uniform with patches of dirt and blood on the white fabric.

When the brown eyed nurse sees the five of us coming, I see dread in her eyes at the thought of having to admit 5 more patients, all of them related to shinobi clans within the village.

Fortunately, Naruto does the talking.

"We're here to admit Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto tells the nurse before she can ask, and I see relief spread across her features.

"And what exactly is wrong with him?" She asks another clipboard and paper in hand.

"He was injured in combat, and needs to be examined." Naruto says.

For a split second, I think the nurse will comment that I'm a Hyuga, why don't **I** examine him, but she doesn't.

"All right, well, since his life isn't in immediate danger, one of you will have to wait here with him while we process others who are in more immediate need." She explains.

Naruto nods and he moves away from the front desk, Shikamaru, Shino and I following closely behind. Naruto finds a small section of floor near a wall that's unoccupied, and sets the Uchiha boy down in a sitting position, resting Sasuke against the wall. He kneels next to the Uchiha a moment, making sure Sasuke isn't going to topple over if he isn't being braced. Naruto stands, turning to the three of us.

"One of us needs to wait here with him until the doctors can look at him." Naruto says, and I nod, though I don't speak up to volunteer.

_I need to get back, to see how grandmother is doing._

"I'll stay." Shikamaru speaks up. "Of the four of us, I'm the one with the least involvement when it comes to Sasuke, so when he wakes up and sees me, he'll be less likely to want to move or get emotional."

I nod once, and both Shino and Naruto mirror the expression.

"I owe you one, Shikamaru." Naruto says, slapping the Nara gently on his left shoulder.

"I appreciate your courtesy." Shino says with his hands in his pockets, and I duck my head.

"Thank you, Shikamaru-kun."

The Nara boy waves his hand.

"You three get outta here, you're just taking up space, and you could be helping out to clean up, I don't envy you."

_What? He's only volunteering to stay with Sasuke so he doesn't have to help clean up the village? Why that lazy, lackadaisical…_

"Let's go." Naruto says, motioning toward the door.

I mumble an affirmative, and Shino merely starts walking.

The three of us leave the hospital, and once we're out in the street, the disinfectant smell slowly leaves my nose, and I feel myself relax, knowing that I'm out of the hospital.

_I don't know what it is about those places, but I just get chills down my spine whenever I go near a hospital._

The three of us aren't in the streets for too long before Kurenai-sensei appears near us, landing on the street in a blur of motion.

"There you three are." She says as she jogs toward us. Her voice barely shows distress while she covers the 6 feet between us in an instant.

In spite of her status, my teacher is winded, her chest heaving up and down lightly, and a look of concern fills her red eyes.

_Something's wrong._

Even though my teacher hasn't said anything, I can feel it in the air around her, the expression in her eyes, the fact that she's winded, and the tone of voice she took when she spoke after she landed.

_Something is VERY wrong, someone got hurt, or…_

Her eyes turn to me, and in the serious expression on her face, I can already tell what my teacher is going to say before she can even form the words in her vocal cords…

"Hinata," She begins, her voice amplifying the dread and sorrow forming inside of me. "I'm afraid your grandmother has passed…"

For a moment, I don't hear **anything**, not the people around, the sounds of reconstruction, or Naruto's shocked gasp.

However, I do feel. I feel the tears fall down my cheeks, my shoulders slumping as a wave of sadness overtakes me, as though my entire body simply lost the strength to stand.

"No…" I whisper, feeling my eyelids becoming suddenly far too heavy, the weights on my arms and legs much heavier then they should be.

"HINATA!" I hear Naruto's panicked scream before my world fades to black.

&

The next thing I know, I'm standing before the bars in ankle deep cold water. Beyond the bars I can see the gleaming white teeth of the Kyuubi, and through the bars I hear the monster's snickering laugh.

The monster's giant red eyes look at me, its teeth forming a gleeful smile.

"So, you're all alone now…" It says, and I just look down, avoiding the monster's gaze and not wanting to deal with the demon.

"What's the matter gaki, are you depressed?" The monster taunts, and I feel my last nerve snap.

My head pops up, and I glare at monster with a look that could kill.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU GODDAMN FOX?" I scream at it in rage.

"I see." It mutters. "But you needn't worry, you will always have me little gaki, I am here to relieve your wounds, just give yourself to me..."

I cut the monster before it can continue its temptation speech.

"I'm NOT ALONE!" I retort. "I have my friends and my teammates!"

The demon laughs, an evil chuckle that opens its jaws with the stench of rotting flesh bellowing out of mouth toward me in a wave. The stench fills my nose and covers every inch of the cell, and I force myself not to vomit.

"Those people you speak of, they don't really care about you." It says simply, stopping the demonic laugh. "Where were those people when you were younger, when everyone you saw believed you to be a demon child? Back then, not even your precious grandmother wanted you, and even SHE wouldn't defend you because she loved you. She only did it because you're her granddaughter, for her precious clan."

I shake my head.

"It isn't possible, you can't mean that…" I deny its accusation.

In spite of my denial, the demon continues its tirade.

"Whenever you were in trouble, whenever you thought you couldn't stand up from your precious grandmother's training, who was there to mend your wounds?"

I realize what the demon wants to hear, the simple logic in its statement.

_The Kyuubi was there, but…_

"Hinata…" I hear a voice whisper into the bunker. "Hinata…" The voice comes again, louder this time.

"NARUTO!"

&

"NARUTO!" I scream out, my eyes popping open a moment before I sit up in reflex, wanting to get out of the water that held me still.

It takes a moment for my mind, now running on overdrive thanks to the fear and adrenaline pumping through my system, to take in my surroundings and realize that I'm back in 'reality' again. My stomach moves up and down in panicked breaths, and I look down at my hands, seeing them exactly as they should be, without a hint of red aura to them.

_Thank the Hokage._

I am in what appears to be a hospital room, a window on the wall to my right, with a table beneath it. A small vase full of fresh red roses sits in the vase, the flowers adding a nice smell to the sterile air.

It takes a moment before I even see the chair on the left side of the bed, or the fact that it's empty.

"Hinata." A very familiar voice enters my ears, and I look to my left and down to see Naruto on his hands and knees next to the bed.

His left hand apparently rubs at his forehead, and I watch him get to his feet, still rubbing near his left temple.

"Naruto, what happened?" I ask.

"Well, you screamed my name and then moved so fast you caused the whole bed to shake, and I think I fell asleep on the edge or something, and you moving so quick caused me to fall out of the chair." He mutters, still rubbing his temple.

Immediately, I feel like a heel.

"I'm sorry Naruto." I apologize, but the blonde boy waves his hand, taking his left hand away from his temple.

"It's fine." He says dismissively. "It's actually great that you woke up, you were out for almost a day, and everyone was starting to get worried."

As if on cue, the door to the room opens, and I hear Kurenai-sensei's voice flutter inside.

"Naruto, I've got another mission soon, but I've got some downtime, has there…" She begins, but cuts herself off when she enters the room, seeing me awake and Naruto on his feet.

"Sensei." I say, and I see my teacher smile.

"She's only been awake a few minutes, Kurenai-sensei." Naruto defends me, and she nods once.

"Still, it's good to see that you're awake Hinata." Kurenai says, approaching the bed and stopping next to Naruto.

My teacher stands with her right hand on her right hip, her left arm hanging at her side.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." I say, bowing my head.

Kurenai looks to Naruto, and then to me again.

"Do you feel up to hearing about what happened, Hinata?" She asks, and I nod once, the shock of the information long gone.

"My grandmother is dead, Kurenai-sensei." I admit with my voice low. "She died protecting the village; its how she would've wanted to go."

"There's going to be a mass funeral for everyone who died in the attack three days from now. If you don't feel up to it, you don't have to come." She says, and I shake my head.

"Just who else died, Kurenai-sensei?"

"A lot of shinobi lost their lives; however the most notable losses were the loss of the Third and the death of the wanted criminal, Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru?" I ask, remembering the snake freak.

My teacher nods.

"He tried to fight against both the Third and Fourth Hokage at the same time, and from what I'm told it was a hard fought battle, but Orochimaru wound up underestimating the Fourth, and it cost him his life. However the Third had to sacrifice himself in order to allow the Fourth to land the finishing blow."

"So, the funeral for my grandmother and everyone else is three days from now…" I mutter, looking down at the bed.

"Hinata?" I hear Kurenai ask.

My hands ball into fists, hunks of blanket inside my hands.

"She really cared about me, more then anyone else." I mutter.

"Not anymore." Naruto mutters and I turn to look at him, seeing him looking away from me.

"Naruto?" I ask, and the boy stands up, walking past our teacher and leaving the room, leaving Kurenai-sensei and I alone.

"Sensei?" I mutter, and my teacher smiles a sly smile.

"Young boys tend to have problems expressing themselves, Hinata." Kurenai informs me. "Maybe Naruto returns your feelings, but he just has a problem expressing them. Right now, your loss is the most apparent of anyone he knows, and he probably feels helpless to assuage you of your loss, and he can't stand to see you acting like you are."

_My attitude is affecting Naruto that much?_

"I haven't been a good friend, Kurenai-sensei."

_Look at you, YOU call Neji blind and you're so stupid to recognize the way your actions are affecting someone you care so much about?_

"I spoke to the Kyuubi." I continue, lamenting toward my teacher in the hospital room. "It tried to tell me that I was alone, that no one cared about me anymore now that grandmother is dead…"

"Do you believe what the demon told you?" Kurenai simply asks, and I shake my head.

"No, I don't think it was telling me the truth."

My teacher nods once.

"Whatever the demon says to you Hinata, you need to realize that it's got it's own motives for everything. Everything it says to you is to try and turn you toward it, to try and weaken the seal that imprisons it within you and make it that much easier for it to break free and finish what it started those twelve years ago."

"I know Kurenai-sensei." I inform her, and then my teacher shakes her head.

"Am I the one you should be explaining yourself to Hinata?" Kurenai asks, and I shake my head.

"I feel fine enough to move, and I am uninjured." I explain to my teacher.

"All right then, I think it would be wise if you went and talked to Naruto, talk to him and tell him what's happened, I'm sure he'll understand."

I throw off the blankets, the covers falling over the foot of the bed silently while I get out of the hospital bed. I find my sandals next to the bed, and I slip my feet into them and stand up straight, stretching my arms and legs. Still dressed in clothes I wore to the final round, I walk to the door to the hospital room.

_I have to apologize to Naruto; I have to talk to him._

The door to the hospital room opens inward, to prevent the doors from striking people in the case of an evacuation as they run through the halls. In the open doorway, I see two ANBU members wearing full uniforms. Half of each male ANBU member stands in the doorway, nearly shoulder to shoulder. For a moment I wonder what the two ANBU members are doing, then I scan the hallway, and find the reason the two members of the Hokage's Special Forces are standing in the doorway. Sitting on a bench not ten feet down the hallway from my hospital room is Neji's father Hizashi, his arms crossed and an impatient look on his features. The moment he sees me, Hizashi smiles and stands up, walking toward the hospital room door. After the man takes a single step, the two ANBU members move between the older man and me. Hizashi looks surprised for a moment, and before the man can speak, one of the ANBU members calmly speaks.

"By the order of the 4th Hokage, you Hizashi Hyuga are not to have any contact with Hinata Hyuga, and now that Hinata Hyuga is awake, you will leave the hospital immediately or be escorted out."

Hizashi sneers for a moment, and then smiles toward the ANBU members.

"I am glad to see you are awake, Hinata-sama." He says; the respect in his voice is OBVIOUSLY strained. "I eagerly await your return to the Hyuga home."

Hizashi turns on his heels, walking down the hall without another word. The two ANBU members watch him leave, and I barely manage to see my Uncle turn the corner and go down the steps. The two ANBU step aside once Hizashi is gone, and I step into the hall. I activate my Byakugan for a moment, long enough to find Naruto with the kekkei genkai, and then I turn it off. I follow the layout of the hospital still fresh in my mind toward the balcony Naruto stands on. I walk out onto the balcony.

I stand in the doorway, looking at him overlooking the village with the silent ANBU member having followed me from the hospital room. Not for the first time, I can see his father in him, and the image of the Hokage's robe and hat overlap his form, the robe fluttering in the breeze, the hat resting on his head.

_He looks so much like his father, it's almost eerie._

Looking at him, I remember the first time he spoke to me, after the boy slapped my hand and made me feel absolutely worthless.

_It was then that I started to feel something for him. That was the first time someone my age spoke to me outside of an assignment of their own volition, and that's when I wanted to see him happy. But I wonder; will he be happy with me now? I'm not much more then an orphan now and I'm the Jinchuriki too. Can he be happy with someone that always has to worry about the demon inside them getting out? _

I glance back toward the ANBU member, who has been silent since I left the hospital room, and the ANBU remains unmoving and silent. I start forward, and the wind gently blows, pulling his hair backward and lifting his shirt slightly so I can see the small of his back. He watches me while I walk next to him, and I assume a similar position to the one he once stood in, looking out over the village. I can feel his eyes on me while I look out over the village.

_Everyone's striving to rebuild after Orochimaru's attack on the village. Everyone's doing what they can to recover from the tragedy, but all I'm doing is lamenting over what I've lost, when I'm not the only one who's lost something in this tragedy._

"I'm sorry, Naruto." I begin. "The Kyuubi was attempting to influence me, and I shouldn't have given in to it."

"What did it say to you?" He asks.

"It tried to tell me that I was alone, and that there wasn't anyone left that cared about me."

"And you believed what it told you?"

I nod once, feeling even worse then before.

"Yes, I did, but I was depressed, and I know now that the Kyuubi only did that to try and influence me, to draw me closer to it." I explain to him. "It seems to enjoy my suffering, and it doesn't want me to turn to anyone else for help."

"Why would it want you to go it for help?" He asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

"It's a demon; I don't know how I can even begin to fathom its logic."

"I guess so…" He mutters.

He looks deep in thought about something, and for a moment the two of us are silent. For that single moment, I feel more nervous then anything else.

"I'm sorry Naruto." I apologize again. "I know better, and I know that I'm not alone anymore."

"It would be prudent for both of you to remember what you have said this day." Shino's voice enters my ears unexpectedly.

Both Naruto and I nearly jump to the clouds, and I see Shino emerge from hospital and step out onto the balcony. He walks with his hands in his pockets, and I can't help but wonder how long the Aburame has been there.

"Shino, how long have you been there?" Naruto asks, and the Aburame keeps his neutral tone.

"I have been here long enough." He says, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. "I came to the hospital with the intention of visiting Hinata after she lost consciousness." He finishes.

"You should be happy!" Naruto nearly yells at him. "Hinata fought that demon and did all the work, she put her life on the line for you, Shikamaru and me and even Sasuke. It's great that she's already up and on her feet after fighting something like that."

Shino merely nods.

"I am…relieved that Hinata is uninjured, and her emotional distress has not caused her harm." He retorts.

"Well…" Naruto mutters, not knowing what to say. "I'm glad that both of you are uninjured, and everything worked out."

"That statement is incorrect." Shino points out, and I raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean Shino?"

"Everything did not 'work out' as you put it." He begins. "The village has suffered major damage, and the Third Hokage has been killed. With the loss of the so many shinobi as well as a powerful ninja leader, everything has not 'worked out.'" He finishes.

"Well…" I mutter, looking down at the floor.

_He didn't have to ruin the mood like that._

"However, I did not intend to ruin your optimistic countenance." He says, and I nod.

"I know Shino." I admit, and Naruto smiles.

"We're friends right?" He asks, his tone saying he knows the answer to the question.

"I would affirm so." Shino says, and I feel tears begin to form in my eyes.

_These two boys, they're my friends, and Naruto really likes me, he doesn't like seeing me sad and depressed, he wants to see me happy, just like I want to see him happy._

Gentle footsteps against the floor tell the three of us that someone is approaching, and I look to see the wolf masked ANBU remaining silent and motionless in the hallway. The ANBU steps aside to allow the new person to walk out onto the balcony, who is revealed to be Kurenai-sensei. My teacher walks toward Naruto, Shino and I.

"Kurenai-sensei." I greet my teacher, and both Naruto and Shino give her a similar greeting.

"It is fortunate that you were not harmed during the attack, Kurenai-sensei." Shino comments, and my teacher keeps an even expression.

"It's good to see the three of you together, in spite of everything that's happened." She comments. "You performed the mission I assigned you in spite of several obstacles in your way, and you suffered no long term injuries as well." Kurenai continues. "Both Shino and Naruto have reported what transpired during the rescue mission Hinata, and I must say that you conduct was admirable, and your use of your unique ability within the team was conduct befitting a shinobi. I've recommended all three of you be promoted to Chunin, but due to the rather unique events that took place during the exam, it's possible that the events of the entire exam will be disregarded."

I shrug my shoulders.

"Being Chunin would be nice Kurenai-sensei, but I can always take the exam again."

My teacher smiles happily.

"That's a good outlook to have, Hinata." Kurenai explains.

"So, you were protecting people in the arena, weren't you Kurenai-sensei?" I ask, and my teacher nods.

"Yes, I was doing everything I could to protect the civilians and repulse the threat, while the four of you actually did more to remove the threat of Shukaku." She admits, and I shake my head.

"If I hadn't been there, I'm afraid things may have gone differently." I admit, and I see my teacher eye my cautiously.

"You mean, if you hadn't had access to the Kyuubi's chakra?" She asks, and I nod once.

"I'm afraid that if I hadn't been there, things would've turned out very differently."

Kurenai shrugs her shoulders.

"Wondering about what may be is pointless Hinata, what matters it that the three of you are all right." She informs us. "As for me, I have work to do, so if you three will excuse me…" She takes her leave, and I nod along with Shino and Naruto.

Kurenai turns and nods to the ANBU, who allows her to pass without a single outward expression of emotion. Kurenai walks past the ANBU and into the hospital, the ANBU remaining in place long after my teacher disappears into the hospital. With Kurenai gone, Shino looks at me, and for the first time, I see him show outward emotion. He reaches out, his face gaining an expression of sympathy as he places his left hand on my right shoulder.

"I am sorry for your loss, Hinata." He admits, the sincerity in his voice impossible to deny.

I nod once, looking down at the ground as I remember the pain of my losing my grandmother.

"Thank you Shino, I truly appreciate it."

"Right now though," Naruto begins. "I think the three of us should be helping the people of the village." Naruto suggests. "There are still bodies that need to be recovered, and we can help the people who are still alive."

I nod once, and Shino does so as well.

With that, the three of us depart from the balcony, and after I sign myself out of the hospital, I go to work with the recovery efforts, helping those who need assistance, doing whatever I can to help the people of my home.

&

Three days later, I stand atop the Hokage's tower, along with most of the other remaining shinobi of the leaf village. Before me, beneath the Hokage's monument, three caskets are lined up next to each other, with a picture of the Third Hokage above the casket in the middle. Thunder rumbles in the gray sky as rain gently falls, echoing the mood of those present.

_Grandmother…_

Of the three caskets before me, the one on the left and the picture above it draws my attention, the photograph of my grandmother in her younger years, a young woman wearing formal robes with a stern expression on her face, an ideal leader for the Hyuga clan.

_Grandmother…_

Tears fall down my cheeks while I stare longingly at the picture, my hands in front of me and balled together, a single white chrysanthemum in my hands.

Unlike the other remaining members of the Hyuga clan, I stand away from them, near my teammates with Kurenai-sensei close by. Naruto, Shino, Kurenai-sensei and I, along with everyone else present at the funeral wears black clothing to show our mourning, and I don't even bother with the headband.

Looking at those assembled, I don't see Neji with his father, however I do see a young girl that can't be any more then ten years old standing next to Hizashi, with long dark hair and fair skin, her eyes showing no emotion, exactly like her father.

_That has to be Natsume; she probably doesn't even understand what's going on, or why her father has been smiling all the time in private, that bastard._

In spite of the situation, I still feel my anger boil in my veins when I think about Hizashi, and how he's schemed and contrived and bided his time, waiting for this day, the day that my grandmother is officially put to rest, and he becomes leader of the Hyuga clan.

_Until I can assume the position, but if he has his way, I won't live to see another sunrise._

Shino stands on my left, and for the first time he isn't wearing the gray trench coat I've only seen him wear, instead he wears a long sleeved black shirt and matching long pants. He still wears his sunglasses though, as does his father, Shibi Aburame, who stands close to his son during this time of mourning.

_Even though it's a funeral, they still act like nothing's the matter, in spite of how many people died._

Naruto stands on my right, the Namikaze child wearing a similar outfit to Shino, and he doesn't wear his headband either. His hands are clenched into fists, his arms shaking with anger and frustration. The last three days has not been kind to my blonde teammate, and I move my eyes to the source of part of his anxiety.

The Fourth Hokage stands in front of all of us, wearing black funeral garb, his eyes locked on the image of the Third Hokage above the casket, and I can barely see the longing on his face while the tears flow down his cheeks

_It's like he wishes that he should be the one in the casket, and not Sarutobi._

Kushina stands next to him, wearing a black funeral dress with a large hat and veil that conceals the majority of her face. With the veil, I cannot see her concern for her husband; however her body language betrays her thoughts as she stands with her right hand on his left shoulder, her black gloved grip tight on her husband.

_These last three days, I've been staying in a shelter for people who lost their homes in the tragedy. Minato-sama declared that Hizashi and I aren't to have any contact, and ANBU have been with me nearly all the time. I know that I can't remain in the Hyuga manor, Hizashi has far too much influence, and now that he is clan leader, his bed chamber will be the same one my grandmother used to occupy, and both Neji and Natsume will be sleeping in rooms adjacent to my old room. No doubt that rat bastard has already ransacked the entire manor, looking for hidden scrolls with secrets to the Gentle Fist, looking for some hidden way to become stronger than I eventually will be._

Kurenai-sensei stands behind me; oddly enough the woman doesn't appear to have any family present at the funeral, the person closest to her being Asuma Sarutobi, the tall Jounin who's perpetually got a cigarette in his mouth. He doesn't have his incessant nicotine stick in his mouth today, his eyes somber while he looks onward at the caskets in front of him. Kurenai-sensei on the other hand has an emotionless expression on her face.

_Sensei…_

Looking around, I notice that Kakashi Hatake isn't present at the funeral, but Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka are all present, with all of them except the former with their respective families.

The Fourth walks up to the casket with his wife next to him. The ninja leader lays two flowers onto the middle casket, tears streaming down his cheeks and mixing with the rain water. After the Fourth Hokage finishes saying his good bye, the other amassed shinobi begin walking past the caskets. I watch those ahead of me place their flowers on the caskets, and when it's my turn to place my flower, I gingerly lay the flower on my grandmother's casket, whispering my good bye to my grandmother.

"Rest in peace, grandmother." I whisper, my hand pulling away from the casket.

My eyes rest on the image of my grandmother above the casket for a moment, and then I turn, walking away while my tears continue to fall down my cheeks. I follow those in front of me, walking away from the funeral area and into the village. With our respects paid to the dead, our part in the funeral is done, and we're free to do whatever we want for the remainder of the day.

Walking away from the funeral, I think about my grandmother and my time spent with her, Jiraiya's words coming back to me from my time spent training with him.

"The memories of those lost are often the most precious to those who must live on." I hear his words echo in my head.

With my part in the funeral over, I stop off to the side of a street, and somehow both Shino and Naruto stop near me, Kurenai-sensei simply nodding to us as both she and Asuma walk past us.

"Naruto." I say, seeing the boy clenching his fists and looking down at the ground.

"Naruto, something has been troubling you since the incident with the Sound and Sand village." Shino points out.

The boy nods once, and even before he says anything, I KNOW deep down that this trouble is somehow related to his father.

"It's my dad." He says, tears on the edge of his eyes before he wipes at them. "Ever since the attack, he's been doing nothing but drinking, and mom's afraid to leave him alone because she's afraid he might try and kill himself."

_He's been drinking? But, why would he put himself through that?_

"What feelings have preceded this behavior, Naruto?" Shino asks in his normal tone.

Naruto sniffles and I can tell that he doesn't like recalling these memories.

"After the attack, he kept saying that 'it should've been me,' and he keeps talking about Sarutobi dying like he feels as though it should've been him. He mutters about the Kyuubi and what happened twelve years ago, and talks like he wishes he was dead." Naruto finishes as fresh tears begin to flow down his cheeks.

_I had no idea._

Hearing the depression in his voice sends a chill down my spine.

"I offer my assistance should you require someone to convalesce with your father." Shino offers and I see Naruto wipe his cheek.

"Thanks, Shino." Naruto says, and I clench my fist in resolve.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you Naruto." I offer my assistance as well. "Your father has done more for me then he has for anyone else in the village. I'll do whatever I can to help him out of his depression."

Naruto nods and I can see the appreciation in his eyes.

"Thanks, both of you." He begins, looking to Shino before he continues speaking. "It's just that mom has been taking time off from work, and she hasn't really had a chance to rest since the attack. She's been watching dad, clothing him, feeding him, making sure he doesn't do anything stupid, she's going to burn out soon, and if dad doesn't recover…" He trails off.

"It would be an honor to assist your family in this time of crisis." Shino offers again, and Naruto looks down, as though he was contemplating something.

"I appreciate it Shino, we really need to try and get my father out of this depression, and right now all the village crisis councils are busy with survivors and victims of the attack, and mom doesn't want dad to look weak by having him go to a counselor, or else another country might try and conquer the village, knowing the Hokage is in no shape to fight."

"Are you suggesting that I would be unable to convince your father that his depression is illogical?" Shino asks, and Naruto shakes his head no.

"No, it isn't that." He says, looking down again, and then looking toward me, and I feel butterflies in my stomach when I see the desire for help in Naruto's eyes. "It's just that I think he'd listen to Hinata more than you." Naruto explains, looking back toward our teammate. "She's the one with the Kyuubi, and he has always had respect for her, even before we were assigned to the same team and he got to know her."

"You want me to talk to your father, Naruto?" I ask, and the Namikaze child nods once.

"It'd be a big help, and at least it would let my mom take a shower and rest for a few hours. She's been so stressed over dad that she's hardly had the time to take care of herself."

I nod once.  
"I'll talk to him, though I don't know what I can do."

I see Naruto grin; an expression that once again reminds me of the man who brought him into this world.

"Even if you can't bring him out of it, it'll still be a help to mom, and if you can't, then I'm sure the three of us and mom can take up shifts being with him, that way mom can do what she needs to do and no one's dealing with all the burden."

I nod once, and Shino pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. The Aburame turns toward me, and I see his hands slide up into the opposite sleeve of his shirt, giving him a different look from his normal hands in his pockets posture.

"I wish you luck my friend." He says in an even tone. "I hope for your success."

He turns toward Naruto, who has a puzzled look on his face.

"Should you require my assistance, I will be in the Aburame compound." He informs Naruto, who nods once.

"Thanks Shino, I really do appreciate it." Naruto says again, and Shino merely turns toward the road.

"I await positive news of our Hokage." He says before starting into the street, walking away from the two of us, and I hear Naruto sigh heavily.

"Well, we should get going, hopefully the sooner you talk to dad, the sooner he'll realize what he's doing."

I nod once, and Naruto starts walking, and I take up position next to him, my thought focused on task at hand.

_This is the first time in my life that having the Kyuubi has given me the opportunity to actually do some good, to make a positive difference in another person's life, I won't waste it…_

&

Fortunately, since today is the day of the funeral, the people don't glare at me during the short trip to the Hokage manor, and after we pass through the main gate and the ANBU stationed there, Naruto leads me down the path and into the house proper.

Once I'm inside the house, I immediately feel wrongness in the air, the happy atmosphere of my previous visit is gone, replaced by a dreary, dark atmosphere that almost makes the hallways look darker. Slipping my shoes off at the door, I follow Naruto into the home.

"Mom's got him in the living room." Naruto informs me. "He doesn't really seem to want to move, except when his bottle runs out, and then he goes to the liquor cabinet and gets something else to drink. If mom tries to take it, then he snatches it from her before she can blink."

I nod once, absorbing the information as Naruto gives it to me.

_He created that high speed taijutsu that Naruto uses, it's no wonder he can't move even faster then Naruto can._

Naruto leads me to the living room, opening the door to reveal a deeply saddening scene.

The once happy living room that I spent waiting to eat dinner in with Naruto, Shino and The Fourth is gone, the overhead light no longer casting a happy fluorescence into the room. Rather the light is dim, the Hokage of the Hidden Leaves sits on the black sofa, three large glass bottles of sake on the table in front of him. Two of those bottles are empty, the third bottle barely halfway full. The Hokage himself holds a small clear glass in his left hand, the glass one fourth of the way filled with sake. The man stares down at the sake, absolute and debilitating depression in his eyes, wistfulness for death emanating from his eyes.

_This isn't possible…_

Sitting on a chair across the table from the Hokage sits Kushina Namikaze, the red haired woman looking at her husband with a pleading gaze. She wears her pajamas; her hair looks like she hasn't bothered to brush it since she woke up this morning. She looks tired, her shoulders slumped and her entire body sinking into the chair.

Her head tiredly turns toward the door, the older woman spotting her son and me with recognition passing in her eyes.

_On a normal day, she'd probably care about being in her bed clothes at 2 o clock in the afternoon, but now..._

"Naruto…Hina-chan…" She mutters, almost as though the act of speaking was taking all of her strength.

_How is this possible? How could you let it get this bad before you asked for help Naruto?_

I stand near the door while Naruto walks forward. The twelve year old boy moves behind the chair, putting his hands on his mother's shoulders lovingly.

"Mom, Hinata said she'll watch dad for a little, so why don't you get a shower and get some sleep? I'll help her if dad tries anything, all right."

The woman nods, muttering a thank you before she stands up, and Naruto guides her toward the door. I step aside to allow her to pass, and as Naruto leads Kushina out of the room, he shoots me a look that's unmistakable.

_He's thanking me, and he really means it._

Naruto leads his mother out of the room, closing the door behind him, and I turn back toward the Hokage of the Hidden Leaves, the glass now at his lips, his throat moving as he drinks down the remainder of the sake in the glass. I watch him swill the remainder of the glass, and then he places the glass down on the table, nearly slamming the glass down. He reaches for the half filled bottle, grabbing it by the neck. He upends the bottle, pouring the sake into the glass and filling it near to the brim.

"Minato-sama." I call to him, moving away from the door and toward the chair.

If the Hokage of the Leaves notices my speaking to him, he doesn't show it as he takes the glass to his lips. He drinks from the glass, and I sit down across from him. His gaze never leaves the glass as he takes it from his lips, placing the glass on his right thigh, his eyes shifting to the table, at the bottle in front of him.

_What can I say to him, how can I tell him how WRONG this is?_

The man stares down at the table, his eyes swamped in a deep and sorrowful depression.

"Minato-sama, this isn't good for you." I remind him.

The man doesn't respond to my attempt at conversation, instead taking the glass to his lips once more. He drinks half of what's left in the glass; the only sound in the room is the Hokage swallowing the alcohol. Looking at the man, at the desire for death on his features, I can't help but feel my fingernails dig into my palms.

"Minato-sama, this is wrong, you can't be doing this to yourself." I argue with the silent man, who simply raises the glass to his lips again.

I reach out, grabbing the glass from his hands and pulling it away from him.

"Is this how you deal with your problems?" I ask. "Do you drown your sorrows in booze and just run away?"

He looks up at me, another emotion joining the utter sadness in his eyes.

_Is that longing? Is he longing to die? Is that why he's doing this?_

"You have no idea what I'm going through." The man mutters, looking down at the bottle.

Disregarding the glass, he snatches the bottle from the table and putting to his lips, cutting out the middleman of putting it into the glass first. He takes a mouthful of the liquid into his mouth and then sets the bottle down again.

_At least I got him to talk, somewhat…_

"I know what it's like to feel the pain of loss, my grandmother died in the attack on the village."

He scoffs, looking at me with those sad, longing eyes.

"You haven't had to watch people die in your stead, to see people you care about face tragedies that are your responsibility, and watch them give their lives to it."

_That's why he's so out of it, because the Third and my father both gave their lives to save the village when Minato could've instead._

"Do you think Sarutobi-sama would be proud of the way you're acting?" I demand from the man. "Do you honestly believe he would act the same way you are?"

"I'm not Sarutobi." He mutters, looking down at the table. "I'm nothing more then a worthless fool that can't even protect a single person…"

I clench my fists, feeling a mix of emotions while I sit across the table from the man who's done so much for me in my life, protected me from so much.

_To see him like this, wallowing in his own misery…_

Without even thinking, I reach across the table and slap the man as hard as I can, my open palm connecting squarely with his left cheek. The SLAP echoes in the room, and I see the older man reel his head to the right. A moment after the slap, everything is silent, and I feel no remorse at what I've done, what this man MADE me do.

"He'd be ashamed of you." I say absolutely. "To see you abuse yourself over something beyond your control, to say that you can't protect anyone when you protect the lives of every person in this village everyday, you're nothing but a fool, Minato Namikaze."

The blonde haired man reaches up, touching the red mark where my palm met his face, and I see his fingers move along the mark, thoughtfulness coming to his eyes.

"Kushina-sama, Naruto, everyone you know is worried about you. You're killing yourself, for what? Because you feel bad that people died? If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's you cannot change the past, you can only learn from it, and move on, make the future a better place so that what happened in the past will never happen again."

He looks to me, and I see recognition in his eyes.

"But what if the past repeats itself?"

"Then you deal with it!" I nearly yell at him. "You take things as they come, rather then obsess over things that you cannot change."

"I…" He mutters, looking down at the bottles in front of him.

"The time for mourning is over, Hokage-sama." I remind him. "The people of this village, your FAMILY needs you now more then ever, you CANNOT do this to yourself."

"Naruto…Kushina…" He mutters, looking down between his legs at the floor.

"Your wife hasn't slept in days, she's been worried sick about you, and hasn't even taken the time to brush her own hair, how can you even contemplate trying to kill yourself with alcohol when so many people care about you?"

He looks up at me, and this time I see another emotion in his eyes, completely different from before.

"Thank you, Hinata." He thanks me in earnest. "I've been a fool, and it took a good, HARD slap to make me realize it."

I feel myself smile at his comment, at the resolve now present in his eyes.

_The resolve to do well, to not wallow in past, I think he'll be all right now._

"You need to apologize, to your son, and ESPECIALLY Kushina-sama, she hasn't slept a moment since you fell into that depression."

He nods once, standing up from the sofa.

"Hinata…thank you…" He says, walking around the table and heading toward the door.

He stops at the door, his hand on the handle, and he turns toward me.

"Stay for dinner, you've done a lot for both me and this family, the least we can do is give you a good meal." He says, cracking a grin that I've seen many times before, a wave of relief washing over me.

The Hokage of the Hidden Leaves opens the door, leaving the living area in a better state of mind then when he entered it this morning.

&

One day later, I'm standing in my bedroom in the Hyuga home near midnight, the room as dark as the night outside, while I move through the room, a large backpack resting on my bed, the main compartment open, with clothes jammed into the compartment nearly hanging out. Rain beats down on the Hyuga home, and crickets outside provide a relaxing soundtrack to my panicked movements, a strange counter to the fleeing pace that I've assumed during the late night packing session.

_I only need the essentials, I can hopefully send for my personal items later._

I wear my mission gear, the gray jacket now stuffed into the backpack incase I'm sent on a mission to warmer climate, the garment more a reminder of what I used to be, before I gained friends and people that care about me.

_When my grandmother was alive…_

I shake my head, cutting off the train of thought before it can take hold.

_The time for mourning is over, just like what you told Minato-sama, remember?_

I nod once, doing so more for my own mental benefit then anything.

The conclusion that I need to leave the Hyuga home is one I came to grips with the moment I stepped foot back into the house. The home no longer has the air of safety and security that it once provided me, an ominous air having replaced that safe and warm atmosphere.

_I don't have time to think about that now. For all I know Hizashi-teme has assassins on their way to kill me right now. I can only hope he's too busy assuming temporary control of the clan for him to even think about me and the problem I am to him becoming the next permanent clan head._

I shake my head to clear it, stuffing the clothes further into the large bag. I move quickly through the dark, my eyes and memory working together to give me a map of the dark bedroom, almost as though the light was on and I can see everything.

_As long as I'm alive, grandmother's wish for me to become the clan head won't die._

Stuffing the last bit into the backpack, I sigh lightly, part of me thinking that's all I can fit into the backpack when I hear a strange noise, almost like a body gently landing nearby in the cool night air. I strain my ears, allowing chakra to enhance the sense a fraction beyond normal hearing. The crickets and the gentle chirping that had done much to relax my nerves outside the closed window has stopped, and I feel the hairs stand on the back of my neck, my internal alarms telling me to move, NOW.

_The window's closed, so that means he'll have to cut through it quietly without making any sound to try and kill me with a blow dart, I only have a few seconds._

Clasping the backpack closed, I activate my Byakugan, the kekkei genkai's insight filling my mind, and through it I can see through the closed window and curtains to see a man dressed in all black, wearing a shinobi's mask and holding a blow gun in his left hand. In his right hand he holds a cutting tool, gently cutting a small hole in the glass window.

With my Byakugan, I can see the hallway outside is clear, and I'm at the door with the backpack on my back by the time the assassin has finished cutting his hole. I'm through the door in a moment, the assassin silently cursing when he hears the sound of the door closing behind me. The assassin gives up on stealth, the window crashing through with the sound of breaking glass, and I begin to run. I head for the front door, feeling stupid for having left my sandals there when I should've just kept them on, knowing full well I might have to flee the mansion in the middle of the night.

_Self recrimination can wait for later; right now you have to get away from the assassin. If you kill him, it will be your word against Hizashi that he was here for your life on Hizashi's bidding, but if you can get him captured by someone else, and bring the Hokage's attention to the matter, then maybe you'll live long enough to see your grandmother's wish fulfilled._

I take a heartbeat to slip my feet into my sandals at the front door, seeing the doorway is already clear, the door to my bedroom crashing through when the assassin kicks it in. I try not to think about anything other then my escape as I open the front door and practically fly through it, barely closing it behind me.

_I have two options, either the Aburame compound or the Hokage manor, and right now Shino's home is closer, even though the Hokage's manor is probably much better guarded._

Decision made, I take off for the Aburame home, my Byakugan showing me the way and giving me startling insight into the assassin's now fevered chase to kill me before anyone finds out about his involvement. I turn the corner at the gate and see that there's no branch family member on guard duty.

_No doubt Hizashi's handiwork. He doesn't want anyone around so this assassin won't have anyone trying to stop him from killing me._

I take off into the street, seeing the assassin open the front door to the manor and not even bother closing it. He runs down the path, practically skidding when he hits the gate, looking left and right and spotting me in my flight away from the Hyuga home. He raises his blow gun to his lips, and I see him draw air into his lungs, and then exhale. I hop to the right, seeing the black shape of the dart pass to my left at neck level.

_If I hadn't moved, that dart would've hit me in the neck. Whoever he is, he's good, to be able to shoot that accuracy this late at a target the size of my neck, he has to be a hired assassin._

I see his lips move beneath the mask, a silent curse as the assassin goes to his belt, grasping at a black case there that I didn't notice before. I see him open the case and withdraw another dart, starting into a run as he loads his silent weapon.

Knowing that I'll need all the speed I can, I withdraw all the chakra in the restraints that I can, reducing them to their default weight and greatly decreasing my burden. I see the man prepare to fire another dart, and I barely avoid this one as well, the man choosing to aim for my chest now, rather then my neck.

_As long as I've got my Byakugan, there's no way you'll be able to hit me. Hizashi wouldn't share the vulnerability with this assassin, not even he'd be THAT stupid. To reveal the Byakugan's one and only blind spot is grounds for immediate execution by clan bylaw, and if this assassin is caught and interrogated, or I survive this attempt, he can't risk being killed so soon after grasping everything he wants._

With rain beating on my body, soaking my clothes and every inch of me, I keep running, seeing the Aburame compound through my Byakugan. I barely have the time to look, as the assassin tries again and again, shooting at me with his blow darts, the silent weapon hard to dodge in the rain, but somehow I manage, the darts barely missing me with each attempt, and before I know it I'm turning right at the Aburame compound, hopping over the front gate and running for the front door.

_No guard; oh shit._

I stop at the front door, my breath coming out in panicked gasps, my fists pound on the front door of the Aburame home.

"ANYONE, SOMEONE'S TRYING TO KILL ME, I NEED HELP!" I yell out, banging on the front door of the Aburame home.

_If no one comes then I might have to kill him, if that happens, then..._

My internal alarms go off, and I duck out of reflex, not really seeing the blow dart but my instincts telling me its coming. The blow dart strikes the door where my head once was, and I see the assassin hop the gate, landing on both feet without so much as pause before he starts forward, slowly reloading his weapon while I turn to face him, and assuming a gentle fist stance, ready to fight for my life.

"This is just business, it's nothing personal to you kid, but somebody says you gotta die." He speaks to me, trying in vain to comfort me, as if to defend himself and say that he isn't a bad person.

For a moment, time seems to slow to crawl, his every moment so slow and precise, my heartbeat becoming so loud in my ears, and then I see a tree branch above the assassin come alive, the darkness covering the branch appearing to come to life, and then the familiar chitter of the Aburame kikai enters my ears, and I realize that the 'darkness' on the branch isn't darkness, but rather the entire branch is covered in a black swarm of kikai bugs. The swarm falls from its branch, and the assassin looks up in time to see the chittering mass of kikai land on top of him. The bugs immediately begin to eat away at his strength, and the assassin falls to the ground, flailing his arms as he swats at the swarm of kikai that cover his entire body. He rolls on the ground, trying to squish the insects beneath his weight.

Standing there, watching the kikai make a meal of my potential assassin, I do not know what to think when the door to the Aburame home opens, and I see a man dressed in a long gray trench coat with black pants and spiky gray hair and sunglasses emerge from the house.

_That must be Shino's father, Shibi._

"I come to my front door to check on cries for assistance, and I locate an assassin attempting to murder a friend of my clan." He says in a neutral voice, as though he were making an observation.

_Definitely Shino's father._

He looks at me, and behind the sunglasses I see sympathy on his features.

"Please, come inside, Hinata Hyuga-san." He says, motioning for me to enter his home.

"Thank you…but, what about him?" I ask, looking to the assassin, who has since quieted down, with most of his chakra now in the stomachs of the kikai still swarming his body.

The Aburame spares the man a look, and then turns toward me.

"My allies will see to it that he remains incapacitated." Shibi informs me. "Please, come inside, your body will become host to a contagious disease if you remain out in the rain."

_He couldn't just say 'you'll get sick?' Definitely Shino's dad._

"All right." I acquiesce to his request, walking into the house proper, Shibi closing the door behind me.

I slip off my shoes, and Shibi does so as well before he steps up into the hall.

"Follow me please." He asks, and I nod once, the veins around my eyes receding as the Byakugan leaves my eyes.

I follow the man through the house, and he leads me to a sitting room, motioning for me to go inside.

"I shall awake Shino and alert the proper authorities, I will request my spouse come here with the proper thermal coverings and drying cloths, should you require anything else, you may ask her to bring it for you."

I just nod, the Aburame man closing the door to the sitting room, leaving me alone. I sigh heavily, slipping the wet backpack off onto the floor, closing my eyes and trying to block out the feelings that come to me like a tidal wave.

_I can't go home again. My uncle wants me dead, he sent an assassin after me, even though his son is my ally, and he still wants me dead. If he had his way, I'd be the one lying in front of the Aburame home, his hired killer already on his way back to collect his dirty money._

The anger I feel toward Hizashi, and the resentment I feel toward the entire Hyuga clan for allowing this travesty to go on boils in my veins, and I can feel the energized feeling begin to trickle into my veins, the feeling of the demonic chakra beginning to surge into my body through my coils.

The walls around me gain a red tint, and I take a deep breath, pushing the violent and negative thoughts aside, calming my mind as the red glow on the walls fades. Standing there, I can almost hear the Kyuubi growling to himself, cursing my foiling his attempt to supplement his chakra into mine.

_Damn demon._

A minute later the door opens, and a woman enters into the room wearing a black trench coat belted at the waist, and unlike Shino and Shibi, the collar on her coat isn't nearly as high, her collar stopping at her neck. She wears dark pants on her legs, and what I can see of her skin is smooth and fair, unlike Shino and his father. With the belt around the coat, it gives her a feminine appearance; add to that her feminine curves and it's obvious to me that she's an Aburame woman. She wears their trademark sunglasses on her face, though even with them, I can see the expression of sympathy on her features, and the sincerity behind it.

"You must be Hinata-chan…" She says, and it's then that I notice the blanket under her left arm.

"Uh, yes." I say, bowing to the woman respectively.

"Shino-chan talks about you all the time." She says as she walks toward me, opening the large towel for me. "You can use this to dry off."

"Thank you." I say before I take the blanket from her, wrapping it around my shoulders.

The woman seems to start in surprise, and I can't help but feel almost shocked at her…human way of acting.

_What are you thinking? Did you think that the ENTIRE Aburame clan is like Shino and his father? It isn't like all Hyugas are like grandmother. Everyone's different, don't judge people before you get to know them._

"I apologize." Shino's mother begins. "I haven't yet introduced myself to you; I am Shiroi Aburame, Shino's mother."

"It's nice meeting you." I offer in return for her greeting, not one to lose my manners, even when I'm going to start living in exile.

The woman walks around behind me, a gentleness coming off of her that I'd never imagine from an Aburame.

"Let me help you dry, you're absolutely soaked." She says, and I open my mouth to argue, but then close it, simply nodding once to her request.

"Thank you." I say again, my voice sincere, but a tone to it that shows my exhaustion.

_Not sleeping much in the last two days, combined with a panicked packing session that lasted well into the night, combined with a panicked run through the village from the Hyuga home to the Aburame home does do it to you, doesn't it?_

Shiroi moves the towel from my shoulders, rubbing it along my exposed arms and neck, and eventually through my hair, her touch as gentle as though she were my real mother. I sigh, letting myself relax. For now, I am safe.


	17. Chapter 17

Omake: Caged Birds

(Well, this is 17, and probably the last chapter I'll post for a bit. I'm going to Otakon next week, so I won't put a lot of effort into writing this story, though I have already began the next chapter, only a few pages to it. Blinkin did a AWESOME job editing this, and he's been a TREMENDOUS beta, so a huge thanks go out to him for doing an excellent job. Anyway, enjoy the chapter…)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Omake: Caged Birds

My name is Neji Hyuga and I've just lost my match against Hinata Hyuga, the heir to the main family of my clan. I was supposed to win that match. My father told me that I was a genius, gifted with the strongest form of the family's kekkei genkai, and a natural talent for our Gentle Fist. Now though, I sit in a hospital bed after a twenty minute intensive healing session with a skilled Konoha medic.

Most of the pain from the wounds are gone, and my knee doesn't feel as flimsy as it did earlier. However, what sticks with me more then the pain of the fight, is what Hinata said to me just before the match ended.

_She swore she'd protect Natsume. She said that she wouldn't allow anyone to brand her with this accursed mark…_

The Caged Bird seal rests on my forehead, concealed by medical tape, my headband rests on the table next to my bed, the soft blankets of the hospital room are comforting.

I hear muttering outside, an older man's voice that I recognize immediately, and the voice of one of the nurses. I can barely make out her telling my father that the visit must be kept short, and that I'm still recovering.

The door opens, and my father enters the room. He closes the door behind him, and once he does an air of anger flares around him.

"Neji, sit up." He says, not a request.

I sit up, following my father's order without complaint. He walks over to the bed, pushing the rolling table out of the way. My father raises his hand, and then I hear his hand strike my cheek, the pain shooting through me, his slap hard enough to knock me onto my side.

"You're pathetic…" He says. "How could you lose to that pathetic little demon child?" He demands from me. "You were a prodigy, a genius without equal, and you just surrendered to her? Do know what kind of message that sends? It tells EVERYONE that my family is weak, and willing to bend over backward for the main family!"

"Father…" I mutter, sitting up, only to feel his hand again.

"You will NOT call me that." He says, the anger seething in his voice. "You are a disappointment Neji; I can only hope that your sister won't follow in your pathetic footsteps."

_Natsume!_

The thought of her gives me strength, the strength to sit up, and to grab at his robes.

"Father, she has nothing to do with this, don't punish her for my failure." I plead with him.

Looking up into his eyes, I see my father smile a sadistic smile.

"Natsume has yet to fail me, unlike you, Neji…" He refers to me with disgust in his voice. "I won't punish her, but you, you've failed me. You've failed me and you've given that fox bitch the opportunity to show to everyone that we are nothing but weak cowards."

_Fox bitch? Demon child? Why does he keep referring to Hinata with such derogatory and hate filled expressions?_

"Father…" I mutter, only to feel his hand across my cheek for a third time.

"You will call me Hizashi-sama, and should I EVER hear you call me that again, I'll personally activate your seal, and I'll enjoy hearing you scream in agony." He says.

With that, he turns around, walking out of my hospital room, and leaving me with more pain then when he entered the room.

_Father…_

Chapter 17: Of Bugs and Assassins

The Aburame home, 11:58 pm. I've fled the Hyuga manor after I realized an assassin was sent to kill me. I fled to the Aburame home, due to the fact that it's closer then the Hokage manor, and when I arrived there the would be assassin was swarmed with kikai, and has been taken into custody by Shibi Aburame, Shino's father. Shino's mother, Shiroi Aburame has been tasked with making me comfortable for the short time I will be staying at the Aburame house, and has since dried my hair and gone to get a cup of something hot to drink.

_These people, they care about me so much, yet I'm practically a stranger to them._

The door to the hallway opens, and Shiroi enters the room holding a white tea cup on a saucer. I currently sit on the sofa; the large towel given to me by Shiroi is now wrapped around me.

"You really should change clothes." Shiroi gently suggests, setting the saucer and tea cup down in front of me. "If you remain in those wet clothes…" She trails off, knowing that I know what she'll say.

I shake my head once.

"I'll be fine, Shiroi-dono." I respond, referring to her formally and with respect.

The woman shakes her head, sitting down next to me.

"You're a friend of my family; you don't have to speak to me so formally like that." She informs me, her voice gentle and kind. "Call me Shiroi, please." She asks.

"All right, Shiroi-san…" I assent, and I see her smile.

"Good, now then, you should drink the tea; it'll warm you up."

I nod once, assenting with a sing song tone before I take the tea to my lips. The warm fluid warms my throat, the taste helping to relax me in spite of the situation.

"It was smart of you to come here," Shiroi starts; and I remain silent while the woman continues. "Our home usually doesn't need security, but our allies make for excellent sentries. Fortunately, Shino-chan put one of his scent-producing kikai on you, so the sentries around our home didn't attack you, but they did attack your assailant." She informs me in a casual tone.

_He put a bug on me? But where is it, and when did he do it?_

"We've already sent a messenger to the Hokage, I'm sure Hokage-sama will wish to investigate this matter personally."

_What? He'll want to investigate this matter personally?_

I turn my head toward the Aburame woman, leaving the tea and the saucer on the table.

"Why would he want to investigate this matter personally?"

The Aburame woman smiles, an expression I never thought I would see from an Aburame.

_Must be the men, or maybe it's Shino's lineage on his father's side._

"It doesn't take a genius to see that Hokage-sama takes a vaunted interest in you, both as a shinobi of the village and a person. My husband has a seat on the village council, and often after the Kyuubi attack a motion would be set forth to have you killed, to rid the village and the world of the demon that's sealed inside you." She informs me in a casual tone. "However, it was Hokage-sama's interjection that always swayed the council into inaction. Even now, my husband tells me of those members of the village council that resent your presence in our village, and wish to see you either exiled or outright executed."

_Great to know I'm so well loved._

It's then that the door to the hallway slides open, and I see Shino standing in the doorway, fully dressed apparently wide awake.

"Well, I'll excuse myself now." Shiroi says in a happy tone, standing up and then walking out of the room before I can open my mouth to thank her.

When Shiroi walks by Shino, I can almost here my teammate speak, but the muted tone he speaks in makes it hard for me to hear, and then I see his mother smile, patting her son on the shoulder before walking down the hall and disappearing from my sight. Shino enters the room, closing the door behind him before he walks across the room. Sitting down next to me he removes his hands from his pockets and places them on his thighs.

"Are you injured?" Shino asks in a calm tone, and I shake my head no.

"I'm fine, just a little rattled."

He pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Do you believe the assassin to be in the employ of your uncle?" He asks, and I mutter an affirmative. After a long pause, Shino speaks again. "It is unfortunate that he desires your life."

_That's the understatement of the year, Shino._

"It seems to run in my family." I admit to him, thinking about the ruthlessness my ancestors have acted with to gain power and favor within the clan.

"You have never once acted as your uncle has." He points out, and I shake my head, however he keeps talking. "A person's upbringing can adversely affect their personality, and any changes to that upbringing can drastically change the personality of the person in question."

I shrug my shoulders, not really knowing what to say.

"I guess so…" I half heartedly agree with my teammate.

The door to the hallway opens, and Shiroi Aburame enters into the room. She slides the door closed behind her before she turns toward her son and me.

"Your attempted assassin has been taken into custody, my husband is with him now, and the ANBU are on their way here to provide more…specialized interrogation."

"Thank you…" I offer to both of the Aburame present. "You've done so much; I can never repay this kindness."

Shiroi waves her hand dismissively.

"You're Shino-chan's friend; it's nothing we wouldn't do for any friend of our clan." Shiroi responds, though I can see Shino's face contort behind the high collar of his jacket.

"Mother, that honorific is distinguishing of a small child or a female; I request that you refer to me with the proper honorific." Shino keeps an even tone, though I can tell that he's annoyed.

Shiroi smiles at her son. She walks over to him and kneels down. She wraps her arms around him in a loving embrace.

"But, to me you'll always be my little boy." Shiroi coos, and I see Shino trying not squirm, the Aburame boy going to great lengths to conceal his embarrassment.

_At least he has something to feel embarrassed about._

I blink the voice away, fighting the urge to shake my head at the bitter voice in my mind. The sound of Shino clearing his throat pulls my attention back to reality, and I see that the two Aburame have broken the embrace. Shiroi seems quite pleased that she embarrassed her son so greatly, a smile having set into the older Aburame's features.

"I'm grateful, for everything you've all done for me, I can never repay this kindness, but I will do everything in my power to do so." I give them my word.

"Well," Shiroi begins, changing the subject. "I'm going to go check on my husband, are you sure you don't need anything else Hinata-chan?" Shiroi asks me, and I shake my head no.

"No, thank you though."

Shiroi smiles at me before she turns and leaves the room, a happy air about her, a stark contrast to her son sitting next to me on the sofa.

"I am relieved you are safe, Hinata." Shino begins now that his mother is gone. "I had reservations about you returning to the Hyuga manor after the death of your grandmother." He admits, and I smile.

"I know, that's why I snuck in late. I thought I could get away without Hizashi noticing me, but someone was watching, even if it wasn't him."

Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Tell me, since you have left the Hyuga clan's home, where will you take residence?" He asks with a slightly curious tone.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know where I'll live now, probably an apartment in the village somewhere."

_It'd be nice if Minato-sama offered to take me in, but I doubt that will happen. He's the Hokage after all, and I'm not much more then an exiled Jinchuriki whose own clan doesn't even want her._

Shino doesn't say anything after that, and I feel a comfortable silence come across us, the two of us just not having anything else to say in spite of what's going on. Deep down, I know the Aburame boy is only sitting next to me because he wants to show his support for me, and to show that he's there should I need someone to talk to.

_Thank you Shino, just for being here for me, it means more then you'll ever really know._

I don't know how long I sit in silence with my teammate, until the door opens, and a much panicked Naruto Namikaze practically storms into the room.

"Hinata?" Naruto's voice projects into the room, the child of the Hokage stopping after two steps into the room.

His eyes lock on Shino and I sitting next to each other and I see relief pass behind the pretty blue orbs. His clothing is disheveled, his shirt hanging out from beneath his jacket, his jacket open, and he isn't even wearing his headband. His stomach moves up and down in a show of physical exertion.

_How quickly did he make the trip? _

"Hinata is unharmed, my teammate, and her would be assassin is in custody." Shino offers and Naruto breathes a sigh of relief, falling backward and landing on his bottom, seemingly not even noticing the pain he surely must've felt.

He looks at both of us a moment, and then swallows the saliva in his mouth before speaking.

"Dad's on his way…" He breathes through the gasping breaths. "He's coming to investigate, and mom is royally pissed."

_This is all happening because of me. If I weren't here, then neither of them would have to worry about any of this._

"I'm sorry…" I let out in a pathetic whisper, my gaze drifting down to the ground.

I can **feel** their eyes on me, the questioning expressions in their gazes even though I can't see them.

"What're you talking about, Hinata?" Naruto asks bluntly.

I swallow the saliva in my mouth before I begin speaking.

"It's my fault that the both of you were caught up in all this." I explain to them, keeping my head down. "If it wasn't for me, you'd both be at home in bed relaxing, instead you're up at this late hour, worrying about me."

After my admission, there's a long silence. During that silence my imagination creates images of their faces, contorted in anger toward me, and I feel tears of self pity begin to well up in my eyes.

_Look at how pathetic I am, the only thing I can do is make the people I care about worry, and I can't do anything for them unless I use that damn fox's power._

"I cannot speak for Naruto." Shino starts, breaking the silence that had developed. "However, what I can say is that I have not had many people that I would willingly call 'friend.'" He begins. "My clan's…eccentricities make most other young children stay away from us during our younger years, and as such I never had much interaction with others during my time at the academy."

I wipe my eyes on my sleeve and then turn toward Shino, looking at the Aburame holding his neutral expression.

"What's your point, Shino?" I ask, my voice sounding weak and pathetic.

"I am only beginning to build the bonds of friendship, and those bonds cause me to care a great deal about those I have formed those bonds with, and while I cannot speak for either of you, I consider both of you my friends, and hope that you both have similar feelings."

_Is he saying that he cares about me as a friend? _

Naruto cracks one of his grins, standing up and walking behind Shino, leaning on the couch behind the Aburame. Naruto points to Shino's head from behind him, before he speaks.

"He's actually getting emotional, there's hope for him yet." Naruto jokes and I stifle a giggle.

For a moment, I think I actually see Shino smile, though the high collar makes it hard to tell.

"I believe I am beginning to understand Naruto's humor." Shino retorts. "Tell me my teammate; have you met any good brooms lately?"

For a moment, there's silence, and I can't even believe what I've just heard.

_Did he just tell a joke, did he just call Naruto a broom since his hair is yellow, like a broom's head?_

Naruto's mouth practically hits the floor, stunned shock having settled across his features, and Naruto's reaction more then Shino's joke causes me to smile.

Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"I did not mean to offend…" Shino begins to apologize, and then Naruto starts laughing, holding his stomach while his laughter echoes in the room.

"Naruto, what ails you?" Shino asks, and Naruto falls over, rolling on the floor and holding his sides while he keeps laughing.

"Stop…" Naruto mutters between laughs. "It hurts…" He says jokingly.

After Naruto laughs for a long minute, the Namikaze sits up, gripping his sides and obviously suppressing more laughter, a snicker leaving the edge of his lips.

"I never thought I'd hear you tell a joke Shino, it took me so by surprise I was blindsided." Naruto explains.

"Humor was never lost on me, Naruto." Shino retorts in his even tone.

I feel myself smile at the two of them going back and forth, and the suddenly not so dismal atmosphere that has replaced the doom and gloom that seemed to hang around me before Naruto showed up.

_I can relax around them, I don't have to worry about being hurt or rejected, they care about me, and they want to be friends with me…_

Naruto's laughing seems to subside, and he smiles at Shino, a twinkle in my teammate's eye.

"I'll give you some pointers on the finer points of telling jokes Shino…" Naruto begins, raising his right fist and extending his pointer finger, opening his mouth to speak when the door to the hallway opens.

A very angry and concerned Hokage stands in the doorway, the man wearing his BDU and long white Hokage robe. The restrained bloodlust coming from the man makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. His right hand is balled into a fist; his knuckles white from the pressure. His left hand rests on the door frame, his body filling the open doorway.

His eyes lock on me, and without a word he steps into the room and walks toward me, a softness filling his eyes, the bloodlust fading as he steps into the room.

"Are you hurt, Hinata?" He asks without preamble, his voice calm yet somehow carrying a strong undercurrent of extreme rage.

"I'm fine, Hokage-sama." I answer.

"I'll need a statement from you, so I can know your side of the story."

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I begin to speak, relaying what happened to me like I'm giving a mission report. I hear him muttering to himself as I speak, trying to give the man as much detail as I can, and remembering the events as they replay themselves on my eyelids. I speak for nearly two minutes, pausing only to breath and then I continue speaking again. Once I'm done, I open my eyes to see concern has filled his eyes, and I look to see both Shino and Naruto looking rapt as they too both listen to my tale.

The Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves waits quietly until I finish my statement, and then the man speaks with a forced calm in his voice.

"Do you believe the assassin is under contract to your uncle Hizashi Hyuga?" He asks, and I nod my head.

"I think so, but I don't have any proof, so I really can't say one way or another."

The Hokage keeps his face neutral, his eyes darting to Naruto and Shino.

"Both of you remain here with her." Minato orders the both of them. "We don't know if another assassin may come for her again."

Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Hokage-sama, you would not suggest that the Aburame would be caught unawares of a trespasser in our home?" Shino asks, showing only mild annoyance.

The Hokage shakes his head no.

"I'm only saying that not every member of your clan feels the same way you and your parents do about Hinata, Shino." Minato corrects him. "I brought an ANBU squad with me, and they're handling the majority of the interrogation."

He pauses for a moment, shifting his gaze to me before he continues speaking.

"I'll get to the bottom of this Hinata, I'll find whoever hired that assassin and I'll bring him to justice, I swear it." He says in absolute certainty.

"I don't think my uncle will be foolish enough to leave an obvious trail that leads back to him, Hokage-sama." I point out, and the Hokage keeps his resolute eyes on me.

"I'll find it if it's there Hinata, I swear." He says again.

The man turns on his heels, the Hokage's robe fluttering around his legs as he does so. He walks out of the room, leaving Naruto Shino and me alone again, closing the door behind him after he leaves the room.

_I can only hope you can bring an end to this, Hokage-sama…_

&

Three hours pass since the Hokage left the room, and the entire time Shino acts as a gopher should Naruto or I need anything. It's only when the door opens again, and Minato Namikaze stands in the doorway that I feel a small tendril of hope at the positive outcome from the interrogation.

The man strides into the room slowly with a solemn expression on his face. It's when I see his expression that I feel that hope shattered, knowing that if he had positive proof, Minato would be smiling; ready to reassure me that the ANBU are on their way now to go take Hizashi into custody.

"How'd it go dad?" Naruto asks, and I look down, avoiding the man's face, knowing what he's going to say.

_He's going to say they don't have anything on Hizashi; that they can't move on him._

"We broke the assassin." Minato begins, and I feel that hope return, only to be crushed once more when he begins speaking again. "This was a hired hit; it was arranged by a man named Kyosaki Ryu, a member of the village council. The assassin was paid in advance three months ago."

_What?_

"Hokage-sama, what does that mean?" I ask, looking up to see a sympathetic expression on his face.

"It means it will be hard to implicate Hizashi, since the transaction was made before even the first stage of the Chunin exams, while your grandmother was still alive."

I look down, feeling a wave of regret wash over me.

"It's to be expected." I mutter, and then the sound of footsteps enters my ears.

I look up to see Shibi Aburame standing in the doorway, his hands in the pockets of his coat. Minato turns toward the Aburame leader, a questioning look in his eyes apparent even to me.

"A man claiming to be 'leader of the Hyuga clan, Hizashi Hyuga' is outside our main gate." Shibi informs everyone present. "He's demanding that we return Hinata Hyuga to the custody of the Hyuga clan." He trails off, and I feel a chill run down my spine.

_If Hizashi is here, and he's demanding my return, then he has to be connected to all of this, and if Minato can't refuse him._

"Tell Hizashi to blow it out his ass." Minato says simply, and the elder Aburame blinks twice in questioning, surprised by his Hokage's choice of words.

_Hokage-sama…_

"Dad." Naruto says.

Shino remains quiet, though out of the corner of my eye I see him react in a similar manner to his father.

"And it's an order that you tell him exactly what I just said, and if he has any problems with that, he can take his grievance to me." Minato says sternly.

Shibi gives a curt nod, turning and leaving the doorway without another word.

Minato turns around, and I can't help feel myself smile at the Hokage, a quick glance toward Naruto tells me his son approves of his father's knee jerk reaction to Hizashi's demand. I glance to Shino to see him still calm and calculating, though the air about him has changed slightly.

"Way to go dad!" Naruto practically yells, nearly jumping off the sofa until Shino speaks.

"I would like to inquire as to Hinata Hyuga's living accommodations?" Shino asks, and the question is enough to make Naruto 'huh' and stay in his seat.

"I don't want Hinata to remain in the Hyuga manor anymore." Minato states. "As a shinobi of the village, it wouldn't be safe." He explains. "Since she's a shinobi of the village, I can have her residence changed should I deem a shinobi's home life is counterproductive to their growth as a Konoha ninja, which I do think Hinata remaining in the Hyuga home would be." He adds the last part dryly.

His eyes shift to me, a serious look in his eyes.

"You have some options for where you can go from here." Minato begins. "I can give you an apartment that will be all yours and no one else's." He continues. "It won't be as lavish as the Hyuga home, but it'll be yours, and an ANBU unit will be watching the building in case someone tries to come after you."

For a moment, there's silence, and then Shino speaks up.

"She can always remain here." Shino offers. "We have the room, and it would be a statement to the entirety of my clan and the village if we were to take her in." He continues. "Our offering of her shelter would be a message to all those who would harm her in seeking vengeance against the Kyuubi, and that message would be that Hinata Hyuga has allies, and an attack on her would be an attack on the Aburame."

_He's offering to take me in? In spite of everything that's happened, he's willing to let me live with him and his family, even though it could bring the hatred of the entire village on him for it?_

"Mom's already talked with dad and me about letting you move in with us, Hina-chan." Naruto offers, using a shortened version of my name. "We've got just as much room, and the few times you've already spent the night felt…right." He finishes.

I smile, looking at both of them before I turn toward the Hokage.

"I appreciate both offers, I really do, but I shouldn't and couldn't impose on either of you."

The Hokage smiles, walking up to me and leaning down, putting his head near my ear. His words come in a whisper, barely audible even to me.

"Kushi-chan would be happy to have you come live with us." He starts. "She's always wanted a daughter, but she had some complications, and can't have another baby."

I feel myself blush at the insinuation that I would be filling some void I didn't even know existed.

_The way she acted toward me before, lending me pajamas and treating me so kindly, could I really be like a surrogate child to her? _

The Hokage stands up straight, turning slowly and walking to the door. He stops at the door, looking over his left shoulder toward me with an even expression.

"Think about what I just said, and tell Naruto your answer." Minato advises me before he leaves the room, gently closing the door behind him.

I look to Naruto, seeing him crack a half smile, and I turn to Shino, who merely slips his hands into his pockets.

"I wouldn't mind if you stayed with us Hina-chan." Naruto says, using the shortened version of my name again.

"My clan's sentiments are resonated in Naruto's words." Shino informs me, telling me his family feels the same way.

_Either of them would happily take me in, and I can always just get a small apartment somewhere. My savings from ninja missions is mine alone, and not even grandmother could get to it. Since I never really spent that much, I've got enough saved up that I could pay monthly rent if I had to, but I don't know if Hizashi would leave me alone that way. If I stay with Shino, his clan and their kikai would keep him away, and the ANBU constantly guard the Hokage…_

"I really feel bad about this whole mess." I finally speak, and Naruto shrugs.

"It is a situation outside your control." Shino points out.

"At least until you succeed the Hyuga clan." Naruto finishes his thought.

I let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's a long way off, and if my bastard uncle has his way, the 'fox girl' won't live to be thirteen, much less become leader of the Hyuga clan." I mutter dryly.

Shino removes his hand from his pocket, grabbing his sunglasses by the bridge and pulls them from his eyes, revealing his surprisingly normal eyes to Naruto and me for the first time, a serious air forming about him.

"Hinata, I have heard stories of a rumored murderer and general criminal referred to only as the 'Fox girl,' and while I have long deduced that the person in question must be you, I have also deduced that the rumors are absolute lies, and that title nothing more then bigotry and prejudice." He says, looking at me with a stern look in his revealed eyes.

"Shino…" I say, but the boy continues speaking.

"As such, to hear you refer to yourself by that moniker is depressing and outright intolerable." He reprimands me. "You are Hinata Hyuga, a member of Squad 8 and a shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, you are NOT any 'Fox Girl' or anything remotely similar to it, am I clear on that?" He finishes; the anger barely apparent in his voice.

But, what has my attention more then his tone is his eyes, in his eyes I see a deeply concealed anger boiling behind a shroud of forced calm.

_He's angry at my calling me the Fox Girl? But, why would he care how I refer to myself?_

A split second later, the realization hits me like an exploding tag.

_Think about it, he's a member of a clan that uses bugs as weapons. You get it because you contain the Kyuubi, his clan probably has __**countless**__ nicknames in the village, and who knows how the people of the village think about them? __**You**__ don't even want to think about his techniques, and you're his friend, imagine who people that don't know them feel?_

"I'm sorry Shino; it won't happen again." I apologize, ducking my head, and the Aburame returns his sunglasses to his eyes, the air around him becoming more relaxed once more.

"See that it doesn't." He says, his voice having lost most of the edge it had earlier.

For a moment, nothing is said between the three of us until Naruto speaks up.

"Anyway, I'll help you out anyway I can to achieve your dream, Hinata." Naruto offers.

"I will offer my assistance however necessary." Shino chimes in.

_They're both so…_

"Thank you, both of you." I earnestly thank the two of them.

"Still," Naruto begins, looking toward the still closed door. "You should decide where you're going to stay, Hinata." He reminds me.

I look down, balling my hands into fists, feeling my trimmed fingernails barely digging into my palms.

_You know what you want to say, just say it, they won't care that you'd rather stay with Naruto over Shino, it isn't like either of them DON'T know that you've got a crush on him. Besides, if you're going to pursue a relationship with him, then you'll have to live with him anyway._

"I think it would be better if I stayed with Naruto." I finally speak, and Shino makes no outward expression of emotion. "I appreciate you extending the invitation to me Shino, but your family has clan secrets to keep, and my being here would expose me to a lot of them, and if I were ever captured, then the secrets of two of Konoha's prominent clans would be danger, rather then just one."

Shino simply pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"That explanation is acceptable." He says, returning his hand to his pocket.

I look to Naruto, seeing the blonde boy grin.

"Mom will be really happy you chose to stay with us, Hinata." Naruto says, giving me a thumbs up.

Minato returns a short time later, the door sliding open to reveal the Hokage of the village, a tired expression now set on his features. He walks into the room with slow steps, his arms resting at his sides. His eyes focus on me when he stops, standing across the coffee table from me.

"Have you made your choice, Hinata?" He asks, and I nod once.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I've decided that I'll accept your generous offer, and I thank you for the opportunity to do so…"

The man cracks a smile.

"Don't think anything of it." He informs me. "You feel up to moving?"

"I am." I respond to him, standing up, my clothes now mostly dry.

The Fourth Hokage motions toward the door with his left arm. I shoulder the backpack. Its weight doesn't even register.

"Follow me back then." He offers. "I'll have some shinobi go to the Hyuga home later and pick up anything you need."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The ninja leader leaves the room, and Naruto, Shino and I follow him through the halls of the Aburame home. The Fourth Hokage walks to the front door, and once we're outside two ANBU are waiting there. One of the ANBU wears a Fox mask, while the other wears a boar mask.

"The remainder of the squad has escorted the assassin to a prison, Hokage-sama." The Boar masked ANBU says.

Minato nods to his subordinate.

"Very well, I'll be escorting Hinata and my son back to my home."

The Boar masked ANBU says a short affirmative, and then disappears along with the fox masked ANBU in a puff of smoke. Once the two clouds are gone, I turn toward Shino, seeing him standing in the front door of the home.

"I will do what I can to assist you in the future, Hinata." Shino says in an even tone, and I smile.

"Thank you, Shino."

I bow to Shino, saying thank you for his clan's kindness, and both Naruto and Minato thank the Aburame as well. Once that's done, the three of us leave the Aburame home proper and start into the streets of the village. It's during the trip from the Aburame home to the Hokage manor that I notice the two ANBU from earlier, moving along the rooftops, keeping pace with us.

_They're escorting us, even though Minato is here. I guess they're escorting us __**because**__ he's here. He's the Hokage, and the ANBU are the elite under his direct control._

Since it's late, the trip to the Hokage manor goes without incident, and the worst thing that happens is I see an old drunk relieving himself against the side of someone's house.

_Probably not his own…_

Once we're at the Hokage manor, Minato turns around and looks at his son, and then to me.

"I'm going to bed, I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, Naruto; do you think you could show Hinata to her room?"

Naruto speaks an affirmative, and Minato smiles.

"Good night, I'll see you both in the morning." He speaks a farewell, and then turns around.

He walks into the house, leaving Naruto and I alone together, the heavy backpack on my shoulders feeling like it doesn't weigh much of anything.

"Follow me." He motions with his left hand, and I nod while he starts walking.

I follow the Namikaze child into the house, feeling the same warmth and welcome that I felt earlier, the atmosphere of the family living in the home.

_It's your home now, for the time being anyway…_

Naruto leads me to an undecorated plain bedroom with white walls and a bed. The room has a waist high dresser and a desk, a single overhead light provides illumination for the entire room.

"This is your room." He informs me. "Mine's three doors down, Mom and dad's room is at the end of the hall."

"I understand." I affirm for him, and then I turn toward him. "Thank you Naruto..." I trail off, thanking him again.

He waves his hand in dismissal.

"Don't worry about it, you should get some sleep, we've both got long days of training tomorrow."

I smile to him, mumbling an affirmative before he says good night and closes the door. With the door closed, I slip the backpack off and let it drop on the floor with a heavy thump. I sigh in exhaustion as I walk to the bed. I fall into the bed without thinking, landing diagonally across the bed on my stomach.

"So tired…" I manage to mutter while I close my eyes, my head barely resting on the soft pillow.

Before I even know it, I'm out like a light.

&

I awake to smell of blood, and I open my eyes to see I'm standing, dressed in my normal clothes, yet nearly my entire body is covered in blood.

"What the…?" I ask, and I look around to see that I'm standing in the middle of a demolished village.

The buildings around me are either on fire or rubble. Bodies are strewn about around me in a circle, and I recognize the uniform of several ANBU and shinobi lying on the ground, obvious mortal wounds to all of them, their faces set in expressions of shock and horror.

"What happened?" I ask, and a kunai flies past my face, almost hitting my cheek.

I look up to see Naruto standing there, wearing his new clothes from the Chunin exam, his left arm hanging at his side, blood dribbling down it with the sleeve entirely gone. His right arm is extended, and I can tell that he's the one that threw the kunai.

But what draws my attention more then the injury to his left arm and the fact that he threw a kunai **at** me is the expression in his eyes, the look of absolute anger and betrayal I see in those crystalline orbs sends a shiver of fear down my spine.

"You…" He breathes haggardly, the anger and contempt in his voice undeniable…

_Oh no, what did I do?_

"Naruto…" I begin, but he cuts me off.

"SHUT UP!" He screams at me, cutting me off. "**YOU** won't talk to me like you're my friend, not after what you did."

_What I did?_

"But, what did I do?" I ask, my voice weak, the distress in it obvious, except to him.

"You know what you did, you damn monster." He mutters in contempt, drawing a kunai into his good arm. "You killed my parents, and you've killed all these people, but I'll stop you, I'll put an end to you."

He takes a step forward, and the sincerity in his voice, the anger in his eyes makes my heart ache…

_I must've lost control to the Kyuubi, and I did all of this, ME, not some demon, but ME. I don't deserve his love, I'm only a danger to him now._

He stops once he's within reach, and he raises the kunai above his head.

"I was a fool to let my feelings for you blind me to the truth." He mutters bitterly. "I hope you suffer for all eternity."

He brings the kunai down, letting out a yell of anger and rage.

&

"NARUTO!"

My eyes open, and I immediately realize I'm on my stomach, and I scramble to get to my hands and knees. I feel my heart beating quickly, adrenaline pumping through my system, bringing me from deep sleep to wide awake in the time it takes me to look around. I realize that I'm back in the bedroom given to me by the Hokage in his home, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Only a dream…" I say the words more for my own benefit then anything.

I roll over and fall onto my back, sighing again while I stare up at the ceiling, not wanting to close my eyes and see the vivid image of Naruto about the drive his kunai into my skull again.

"It was just a dream." I repeat to myself.

For a moment I sit there, the memory of the dream fading away, until I hear the sound of male voices yelling. I throw the covers off my bed, putting my feet on the floor before I stand up, running my hands through my hair before I leave the room. I follow the noise, moving through the Hokage's manor until I find myself at the front door of the Hokage's home. At the front gate I see Minato, wearing the long white Hokage's robe, and on the other side of the gate...

_Hizashi._

Hizashi Hyuga along with four other Hyuga clan members stands on the other side of the gate. Around the area, on tops of buildings and hanging on walls are visible ANBU members, the shinobi not close enough to be involved in the conversation, but should something happen…

"How can YOU presume to remove the last living member of the Hyuga clan's main house from her clan's home?" Hizashi screams at the Hokage, the rage apparent in his voice.

Minato appears calm in spite of Hizashi's blatant disrespect, though when Hizashi sees me, I see him a grin spread across his lips.

"It's good to see you Hinata-chan." He says with a grin on his face and a serpent's tongue.

He extends his right hand, trying to look like a loving protector.

"It's time you returned home, Hinata-chan." He says, but I can sense the anger and hostility in his eyes.

I shake my head no, taking a step back away from the man.

"That's all right." He chides. "You just don't know what you want."

He moves to go around Minato, and the 4th Hokage moves to stand between him and me. I can see Hizashi glare at the Hokage.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hizashi demands.

I can feel the bloodlust coming from the 4th Hokage, even though the man isn't even looking at me. Hizashi takes a step back, his intimidation obvious.

"What's wrong you, you're the Hokage!" Hizashi demands, and for a moment, Minato remains silent.

"Hinata Hyuga is a shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and the Jinchuuriki that contains the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Regardless of her family bonds, those two things make her important to the village, and as such I cannot allow Hinata to remain in a home where she will not be properly protected."

"What're you talking about?" Hizashi demands. "The Hyuga manor is the most well protected place in the entire village!" He boasts.

"If that's so, then how did an assassin manage to sneak up on Hinata's bedchamber in the middle of the night and make an attempt on her life, only for Hinata to escape with the assassin in tow, and not a single Hyuga left the manor to pursue the assassin?"

Hizashi looks surprised for a moment, and then the surprise is gone.

"We were in mourning for Hibana-sama's passing." Hizashi argues.

"Hibana's funeral was days ago, and the time for mourning is long gone." Minato argues.

Hizashi looks back to the Hokage, his lips in a grim line.

"Hibana was my mother, and I loved her, you cannot expect me to mourn her for only a few days be done with it."

"LIAR!" I scream out before I even realize I'm doing it. "You **NEVER **treated her like she's your mother, and you never treated me like I'm your niece!" I scream at him. "All grandmother and I ever were to you were hindrances, and that assassin you sent after me was just you trying to get rid of me so I can never take leadership of the clan where it rightfully belongs, WITH THE MAIN FAMILY!"

I see the anger flash in his eyes, and a moment later he's in front of me, his hand striking me in my right cheek in a loud SLAP.

"I AM THE MAIN FAMILY YOU BITCH!" He roars at me.

Before I hit the ground, the Hokage's left arm grabs Hizashi by his right arm, turning the older Hyuga around in a blur of motion, Minato's fist impacting squarely with Hizashi's jaw. The four other Hyuga clan members start to move to interfere when four ANBU members land between them and the Hokage, a silent barrier protecting the Hokage from a sneak attack.

Hizashi's arm jerks from the force of Minato's blow, and I hear the POP of Hizashi's shoulder leaving its socket while the Hokage holds onto Hizashi, preventing the man from flying back into the Hokage manor. Minato releases Hizashi, and the older Hyuga falls on his ass. Hizashi's right arm hangs limply at his side, his left arm on the ground, holding him in a sitting position. Hizashi looks up and I can see the scorn and hatred in Minato's eyes, and I cannot fathom what must be going through Hizashi's mind.

"You will not touch her." Minato says in a forced calm, his hands shaking from the restrained anger.

"I am the leader of the Hyuga clan!" Hizashi argues, getting to his feet. "How I treat members of MY clan is **NO** business of the Hokage!"

Minato spits in Hizashi's face.

"You're a temporary clan leader, Hinata is the TRUE clan leader, and you will never touch her again, just as you will never have another opportunity to send another assassin after her again." He explains to Hizashi. "If you have a problem with that, or anything I've done, you can come and see me, and we'll settle it like the Senju and Uchiha did." He finishes.

"Who do you think you are?" Hizashi demands, wiping Minato's spit from his face. "How dare YOU spit in MY face?"

"I AM the Hokage of this village, and you're merely a figurehead leader of an insignificant clan." Minato informs him, forcing the calm into his voice. "Remember this, Konoha DOESN'T need the Hyuga, the Hyuga NEED Konoha, because without Konoha, the Hyuga clan would be exterminated by shinobi from one of the other five nations."

"Are you talking about removing the Hyuga from Konoha?" Hizashi demands in shock, and Minato smirks.

"The option is open to me, it would be hard to get it past the council, but I have my ways, and if not for Hinata, I would've already kicked your entire arrogant clan out on their asses." He begins. "Get out of my sight, and never come near Hinata again, if you choose to do so, you'll find a new residence dark cell with a new large best friend."

"I'm the leader of the Hyuga." Hizashi begins, his voice sounding more and more pitiful the more he speaks. "I won't forget this."

With that, he turns and walks past the Hokage, around the ANBU members and to his flunkies. Hizashi walks past his comrades without a word, and the other Hyuga clan members follow him silently. Minato's eyes follow Hizashi and 'friends' while they walk away from the Hokage manor, and I notice two of the ANBU around the area disappear, presumably to follow Hizashi in case he wants to try something.

The Hokage slumps his shoulders somewhat, and I see the older man relax.

"I am sorry you had to see that, Hinata." Minato apologizes.

"Thank you." I begin, looking up at the Hokage of the village. "I am infinitely grateful for all the help you've given me during my life, and you've gone so far out of your way for me."

The man shakes his head, starting back toward the house, and I follow him back into the manor.

"You don't owe me anything; you've had so much pushed on you." He begins. "After all, I failed you and everyone else in the village the day the Kyuubi attacked."

"You didn't fail." I retort. "Even though it was my father that died, I'm stronger for having the demon sealed inside of me then without it."

"I wouldn't willingly force being a Jinchuuriki on anyone, and if I hadn't been wounded that fateful day, I would've sealed the demon into my own family, rather then force it onto someone else."

"Then…why not have my father seal the Kyuubi into Naruto?" I ask.

The two of us step into the house; and with one step inside the manor the Hokage stops in his tracks, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"I spent six months with my baby boy before that demon attacked, and I couldn't burden my only baby boy with a demon."

"Being the Jinchuriki has made me a better person." I tell him. "I know what it's like to be mistreated, and I don't ever want to treat anyone I care about the way I've been treated."

I shake my head.

"I wouldn't wish what I've gone through on my worst enemy." I tell him.

The man smiles once, looking up to the ceiling a moment and then back to me.

"We should head to the dining room." He tells me. "If we don't go now Kushi-chan will be really angry if we're late for breakfast."

I smile at him, the feeling that I BELONG welling up inside me.

_I belong here, they accept me here, and I don't have to worry about status or living up to their expectations or anything._

Minato and I walk through the Hokage's mansion together. He and I walk to the dining room, and I see Naruto sitting at the table, dressed in the same outfit he wore during the Chunin exam final round.

"Hina-hime, Dad." Naruto says in greeting, and I feel my cheeks flush at his greeting.

_He called me hime…_

"Are you already for a day of training, Naruto?" Minato asks, taking his seat at the head of the table.

"We've all got a job to do." Naruto says. "While the people of the village have to rebuild, it's the job of Shinobi to get stronger in case we have to go on a mission."

Minato smiles at his son, and I take a seat across the table from Naruto.

"I agree, we need to get stronger, and I need a good sparring partner…" I trail off.

Naruto grins, giving me a thumb up.

"No problem, Hina-hime." He says with a grin.

"All right, food's on!" Kushina interjects, and I feel myself smile when the Namikaze woman sets a plate down in front of each of us.

I eat breakfast with the Namikaze family, and the whole time I feel myself smiling and happy at the pleasant atmosphere at the table. Once the meal is done, Naruto and I excuse ourselves from the table, and the both of us leave the dining room and walk to door. Since the recent tragedy, our shinobi team has been temporary disbanded. As such, Naruto and I have a lot of time on hands.

"Wanna head to a training ground?" Naruto asks, and I nod once.

Both Naruto and I take to the air, the Namikaze boy leading me toward one of the village's many training grounds. Once we're at the training ground, Naruto and I hit the grindstone. We work out together, going through our respective forms and sparring with each other, doing individual exercises as well as tandem workouts. The two of us use each other, using our individual strengths to help each other improve. The entire time, I feel myself smiling, enjoying this peace.

_If only this could go on forever… _&

Naruto and I work out for nearly five hours before he taps me on my shoulder, and I look up from my one handed push ups to see him kneeling next to me, sweat on his forehead, his headband practically soaked with it. His stomach moves up and down beneath his jacket, and I can tell that he's tired.

"How about a lunch break Hina-hime?" Naruto asks, and I quickly look down, trying to suppress the blush that flushes my cheeks.

"Um, sure." I respond, standing up while Naruto does so as well.

"How about we go to Ichiraku's?" They've got a great lunch special, and they shouldn't be too busy yet."

I quickly duck my head, showing my agreement, trying not to look him in the face.

_He keeps calling me his princess…_

The thought of food drowning out all of his other thoughts, Naruto starts walking, and I fall in behind him. It isn't long however before Naruto notices me following him, and he intentionally moves aside and stops, so that I fall into stride next to him. I try not to look at him, though the silence between us is comfortable.

Halfway to the ramen stand, I notice the shadows moving in the trees, the shapes of ANBU members shadowing us, keeping a watchful eye on Naruto and me.

_Are they following us because Naruto is the Fourth's son, or are they following us because of me and what happened? The ANBU are under direct control of the Hokage, so I can't really say what they're doing or why, I just feel better that they're there._

"So, what's the lunch special at Ichiraku's?" I ask, making conversation with him.

Naruto grins.

"A bowl of double meat Pork Ramen!" He proudly declares, and I can't stop myself from giggling.

"If not for your parents, I think all you'd ever eat would be ramen Naruto."

The blonde boy shrugs his shoulders.

"Hey, I can't help it if Ramen is good and it's cheap. Besides, I DON'T eat it all the time because mom will bite my head off, telling me it's bad for me and all that." He mutters in mock argument.

"Well, if all you ever do eat is ramen, it is bad for you." I retort. "If I were your mother I wouldn't let you eat only ramen too."

Naruto grins again, reaching over with his left hand and mussing my hair playfully.

"I know it's bad for me." He admits. "But, it's okay to eat it every so often."

"That's true…" I concede to him.

By now, the two of us walk by a small dumpling and tea shop, and standing outside the shop, I notice Kakashi Hatake standing with his arms crossed, the little orange book he's so well known for nowhere to be seen.

_Is he waiting for someone? That's odd, from the way Kurenai-sensei talks about him, Kakashi is always making his students and other people wait. He's never on time for anything, so what's he doing?_

Inside the shop, I see two men wearing black cloaks with red cloud designs on them sitting at a table, drinking tea. One of them has fair skin and dark hair, while the other has spiky blue hair and what looks like a 6 foot long sword wrapped in bandages resting next to him at the table.

_Who are they?_

"That's odd." Naruto begins after the two of us walk past the shop. "You don't normally see Kakashi waiting anywhere for anyone."

I shrug, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sure he's got his reasons." I offer, and Naruto just shrugs.

_I don't want to bother him with those two vagrants I noticed in the shop. If Kakashi's there, he's probably there watching the two of them, and that means they're in capable hands. If they try anything he'll be able to take care of them, unless they're both really powerful criminal ninja._

I steer Naruto toward Ichiraku's ramen stand, putting thoughts of the two strangers and Kakashi Hatake out of my mind. The only thing I think about is Naruto, and wanting him to relax after the morning workout session. We arrive at Ichiraku's before the lunch rush, and Teuchi welcomes us with a smile.

"Ah, my favorite customer and one of his friends, it's good to see both of you!" He says, turning his face away from cutting noodles, the knife not moving while he talks.

"How ya been old man?" Naruto asks before he sits down, and I take a seat next to him. "Two lunch specials please."

"I'm doing pretty good, and coming right up!" Teuchi responds with a smile, and I can't help but smile myself.

_They way they talk; you'd never think they were never anything but friends, even though he runs a stand and Naruto's a shinobi._

Ayame emerges from the back of the stand, a smile on her face and a pad of paper and pen in hand.

"Ah, Naru-kun and Hina-chan, what will you both be drinking today?" She asks both of us, a happy smile on her face.

"Jade Dragon tea please." I ask, and Ayame nods, writing it down.

"Green tea for me." Naruto smiles and Ayame takes his order.

"Coming right up."

Teuchi goes to work making the ramen, and Ayame disappears into the back of the stand.

"You both have been working hard?" Teuchi asks, and Naruto grins.

"Yep, we're going back to training once we're done here." Naruto informs him, and the man smiles.

"That's good to hear." He says with a smile, and then goes back to work.

It isn't long before Ayame emerges with two tea glasses, setting one down in front of each of us. I sip the Jade Dragon tea, the warm liquid relaxing me while Teuchi makes our food. Before long, the man sets two large bowls of ramen in front of Naruto and me, and I feel my eyes go wide at the sheer size of the bowl, and the amount of ingredients in it.

"Naruto…" I mutter, poking his side. "Is this the normal size of one of the lunch specials?" I ask.

Naruto shakes his head, a questioning look on his face while he looks down at the bowl, and then to Teuchi.

"Hey, Teuchi-san, I think you made a mistake, we only ordered the special."

"No mistake." Teuchi says with a grin. "Since you both have been working so hard, I gave you a little something extra."

"Thank you." I say in reflex, nearly bowing my head but I stop myself before I do.

_I know that we came here a lot when we were helping out with the clean up efforts, but I never thought he grew to like us that much._

"Itadakimasu." Naruto and I say together, and then two of us start eating.

The ramen is as good as it's ever been, and it's also piping hot, so I have to eat it slowly. Naruto on the other hand doesn't seem to notice while he practically shovels the food into his mouth and down his throat. I eat more daintily, a product of my upbringing, a stark contrast to Naruto.

_He really didn't have his parents around that often, and when they were around, they were probably too tired to scold him on eating habits. It isn't like he's doing anything wrong, and when we had that formal dinner at the Hyuga manor, he ate like a normal person._

The thought of the dinner stirs my memories of my grandmother and I feel tears form at the corners of my eyes, my chop sticks hovering over the bowl of pork ramen.

"Hinata?" Naruto's voice snaps me out of it, and I look at him, wiping my eyes on my bare left forearm.

"I'm fine Naruto." I inform him, and I see a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"You were thinking about Hibana-sama weren't you?" He asks, and I nod, looking down at the bowl of ramen.

"I miss her…"

He puts his hand on my right shoulder, his grip gentle and compassionate.

"It'll be all right, and it's okay." He reassures me. "I'm here for you, and so is Shino, dad, mom, and even Kurenai-sensei. We all care about you."

"Thank you." I say, wiping my eyes again, the unruly tears coming again, but for a different reason.

Naruto smiles before removing his hand from my shoulder slowly.

"If you ever need to cry, or someone to talk to, you know I'll listen right?"

"I know." I affirm for him, wiping my eyes for a third time. "I'll be okay." I say as much for him as for myself.

The words help me to get my emotions back under control again, and off of the depressing and sad subject of my dead grandmother. I start eating again, and Naruto watches me for a long moment, and then starts eating as well. Before long, my bowl is mostly empty, when…

BOOM! The sound of an explosion rips through the village, invading my ears like a violent storm. Immediately I look around, and I see a plume of water nearby, near a river that runs through part of Konoha.

"That sound..." Naruto mutters and I nod once, agreeing with him.

Naruto slips money onto the table, and then mutters a farewell to Teuchi.

The two of us leave before the old man can speak a question, and I activate my Byakugan, looking ahead to the site of the explosion. I see both of the men in black cloaks from the tea house, as well as Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai-sensei. The two men in black cloaks appear to be fighting the three Konoha Jounin, and I recognize one of them.

_His eyes, they're the Sharingan. He's an Uchiha._

Next Time: Itachi and Kisame VS Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma, along with a mystery guest! Stay tuned…


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Fanning the Flames

(Well, here's 18, and for those of you who actually read my rants, I've got a question for you. I've been writing a plot outline for this story, and then going back and fleshing it out. I've already outlined until my time skip, which will be almost 4 years long in my version. Thus, after the time skip a lot of the events that happen will be different and unique, as Akatsuki will already have come after Gaara and everything like that. So, what I'm asking is I want a vote. I could easily just stop writing this at the time skip and leave it at that. However, I could continue the fic after that. So, tell me what you all think, and either leave your votes with your reviews or PM me with your thoughts. Anyway, I'm flying to Hilton Head Island tomorrow until Saturday, so I'll probably do some writing there because there won't be much else to do.)

End of Babble

Start Of Story

Chapter 18: Fanning the Flames

Naruto arrives on the scene of the battle shortly after the Uchiha looks at Kakashi, and then the Jounin falls to one knee, breathing heavily, muttering something about torture.

Naruto and I land in the nearby trees, the two of us hiding from them, and I can feel Naruto shaking, wanting to get involved in the fight in front of him.

_We can't get involved, not yet. If we just jump in there, we're likely to get someone killed, probably one of us._

I grasp his shoulder, telling him silently to stand still. The Namikaze boy appears to relax, and I turn my attention ahead. The tall blue skinned man runs forward, ready to attack a now defenseless Kakashi. Both Asuma and Kurenai-sensei have their eyes shut, unaware of the oncoming juggernaut, when…

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" I hear a deep male voice yell out, and a figure appears in front of Kakashi, landing a hard kick to the tall man's jaw.

With a rush of water, Maito Gai stands on the water in front of Kakashi, the man standing in a nearly identical stance to the one Rock Lee used in the Chunin exams.

The blue skinned shinobi slides across the water and stops near his partner. He looks at Gai, and there's a short verbal interchange before Gai turns around, grabbing Kakashi as he falls through the water.

Naruto shifts his left foot, and I hear the infinitely loud _snap_ of a twig beneath his weight. Immediately both of the cloaked shinobi turn toward the source of the noise, and I see the blue skinned man smirk.

"Hey Itachi, that's her, isn't it?"

_Itachi…that can't be…_

"Yes, Kisame." Itachi responds in a barely audible mutter.

"What?" I hear Maito Gai yell, turning toward both Naruto and me, and he recognizes me instantly, just like the two cloaked shinobi. "Both of you get out of here!"

I grasp Naruto's sleeve, and he shoots me a surprised look.

"We need to leave, NOW!" I tell him, not leaving room for an argument.

I practically drag him away, my own legs pumping and pulling as Naruto's limbs begin to catch up.

_If that's Itachi Uchiha, then we're in way over our heads. _

Through the Byakugan, I see both Itachi and Kisame begin to move, pursuing Naruto and I when Asuma and Gai appear in front of them. Through the Byakugan I read Itachi's lips.

"I don't want to kill either of you, but I will if you force me…" The Uchiha warns.

"Why don't you go shove it?" Gai demands, and then Itachi disappears in a puff of smoke.

_Shit, a shadow clone!_

"We need to get out of here NOW!" I say again, picking up my own pace. "Itachi Uchiha is after us!"

"Uchiha?" Naruto asks, keeping pace with me. "Like, someone related to Sasuke?"

"It's his criminal older brother." I inform Naruto while the two of us run through the trees. "For some reason, he's after me."

"What does he want with you?" Naruto asks.

"Probably the Kyuubi."

"Can you see him?"

I scan around the area using my eyes, trying not to run headfirst into a tree at the same time.

Just ahead, a concentration of chakra, and I stop, my feet nearly grinding against the ground, Naruto almost slamming into me when Itachi emerges from a tree ahead, looking toward both Naruto and I with absolute calm in his eyes.

Naruto steps in front of me, and I feel fear gripping at my heart while the Uchiha stares at the both of us.

"Get the hell out of our village!" Naruto demands. "You're nothing but a damn traitor."

Itachi shifts his gaze, staring at the Namikaze with his eerie eyes.

"You shouldn't speak about matters which you know nothing about." Itachi reprimands Naruto.

"Go shove it!" Naruto yells, making the sign of the ram.

20 shadow clones appear around us, a small army intent on beating the hell out of the Uchiha.

_It won't work…_

Itachi scans the clones with his eyes, his eyes slowly moving back and forth across the 21 Narutos in front of him.

"Shadow clones, huh?" Itachi mutters before the 21 Narutos growl in unison.

"Let's go!" One of the Narutos yells, and all 21 of them yell an affirmative.

Together, the 21 Narutos charge Itachi. They pounce on him like a mob, forming a pile on top of him. Beneath the mob of Narutos Itachi's hands clap together three times, and chakra concentrates in a stomach a moment before he expels it from his mouth, creating a whirlwind of roaring flame and heat. I raise my arm to shield my eyes, and I see all but four of the Narutos are destroyed in the spinning flame. Of the Narutos that survived Itachi's attack, none of them are badly injuried, though sweat is prominent on all of them. Itachi remains in the same spot that he stepped onto since emerging from the tree, a neutral expression on his face.

"Is that all you, the son of Yellow Flash of Konoha can do?" Itachi goads.

"I'll show you!" Naruto yells.

I see one of the Narutos extend his right hand, and chakra begins to swirl in his hand, spinning and compacting into a ball.

_That's…_

The three remaining clones charge forward, the real Naruto working on creating a Rasengan. The clones attack with Taijutsu, and Itachi expertly and effortlessly evades all their attacks, dispelling the clones with ease. Naruto takes the opportunity, charging in while Itachi stabs a kunai into one of Naruto's shadow clones. The Uchiha turns in time to see Naruto coming, and Naruto runs forward, thrusting his Rasengan into empty air. The jutsu dispels, and before I can open my mouth, Itachi is behind him, a knife hand chop to the back of Naruto's neck hitting a nerve center, and dropping Naruto like a ton of bricks.

With Naruto down, he slowly turns toward me, still wearing a neutral expression, he extends his left arm.

"Come with me, Hinata-chan." He speaks, not a request, but an order.

I shake my head no, and Itachi continues speaking.

"You don't have a choice, the Akatsuki have burned entire villages to the ground to get what they want, and you are no different. If you choose to remain here, then the Akatsuki will bring this entire village down to get you."

I shake my head again, denying his words, and the obvious truth in them.

I drop into a gentle fist stance, ready to defend myself.

"I won't go with you, I'd sooner die!"

The Uchiha shakes his head slowly.

"A pity, I hate to use force, but you leave me no choice…"

Itachi takes a step forward with his right leg, lowering his left arm. He moves to step with left leg, when he feels resistance, and both he and I look down to see Naruto clutching at his leg, the Namikaze child having turned around and grasped Itachi's pant leg with both hands. Itachi scowls at Naruto, the first emotional expression I've seen cross the young man's face.

"You're nothing more then a pest." Itachi mutters.

The Naruto lying on the ground grins.

"Rasengan!" I hear Naruto's voice yell.

A Naruto emerges from above, clutching a Rasengan and ready to use it. The Uchiha looks up, shifting his body back and to the right, the Rasengan passing within a hair's breadth of his body. Itachi grabs the shadow clone, throwing it while it still holds the Rasengan. The clone strikes a tree, and disappears with a puff of smoke, the Rasengan going along with the clone.

_He used one of his clones to create a Rasengan, but is it even possible for a shadow clone to do that?_

With Itachi momentarily distracted, I see strength flood Naruto's eyes, the Namikaze getting to his hands and knees, and then he spins like a top with his legs extended, looking to drive his feet into Itachi's ribs. The Uchiha takes the impact, flying backward from the blow. With the Byakugan, I can see that Naruto's blow did little damage, the Uchiha almost leaping back and avoiding the blow completely.

_Naruto only barely caught him at all._

The Uchiha sticks his arm out, catching a branch and flipping around the branch, landing on top of the branch in a crouch, glaring at the now standing Naruto. Naruto stares back at Itachi, actually going toe to toe with the Uchiha.

"As long as I draw breath, no one will lay a finger on Hinata, you hear me?" Naruto demands in a growl.

Itachi jumps forward to advance when shuriken fly down from above in a surprise attack. The Uchiha barely avoids the shinobi stars, and a single person dressed in an ANBU uniform appears in front of Naruto in a blur of motion. The ANBU is female, wearing a fox mask with a short wakizashi on her left shoulder.

"That's far enough, Itachi-nii-san." An older woman's voice comes from behind the mask.

Recognition passes through Itachi's eyes, the man actually looking surprised as he stands against the tree, held there by his chakra.

"Haruka, so you survived…" Itachi mutters, and the woman reaches up, removing the ANBU mask, revealing her face to everyone present.

The woman has long black hair, tied into a pony tail with a thong at the top of her head, her hair hanging down to mid back. She looks to be in her mid thirties, and is in prime physical shape. She's at least 5'6" tall, and has a scar on her left cheek that slides back, ending near the bottom of her left ear. In her eyes, I see the Sharingan, identical to Itachi's. Her eyes are red with three tomoe in each eye.

_Haruka Uchiha, Kurenai-sensei's teacher? But, that's impossible! All the Uchiha died when Itachi slaughtered them._

"Haruka, how did you survive?" Itachi asks.

"Minato-sama told me about your special orders Itachi; he gave me a special drug that would let me play dead, slow my heart rate and body functions to the point where it would even fool the Sharingan. So, when you thought you killed me, I was just in a temporary coma-state. It wasn't until afterward that I learned the truth of your actions, and Minato-sama hid me in his ANBU."

"I see."

"Minato saw that I'd distanced myself from the clan, and knew that I had nothing to do with what was going on. He knew that I would understand what was going to happen, just as you did, Itachi."

The man narrows his gaze, staring at Haruka with an even gaze…

"What will you do, Itachi?" Haruka asks, slowly drawing the wakizashi. "If you continue, you'll be fighting me, and you don't have enough chakra left to use that technique again."

Itachi scoffs, showing his anger.

"I will return." Itachi mutters before his hands come together.

After lightning quick hand signs, Itachi disappears in a puff of smoke. I see Itachi disappear from my vision, his chakra disappearing from my range. Naruto breathes a sigh of relief a moment later, his shoulders slouching in an expression of exhaustion. I can see his chakra is low, his coils barely glowing.

Haruka turns around, eying both Naruto and me with an even gaze.

"You both aren't hurt right?" The female ANBU asks.

Naruto shakes his head no.

"I'm all right." I respond.

"You're lucky I got here when I did." She reminds both of us, returning the ANBU mask to her face.

"You're Kurenai-sensei's old sensei, right?" Naruto asks, and Haruka nods.

"About that, I would appreciate it if both of you didn't speak to Kurenai about this." She informs both of us. "For reasons I cannot reveal, Kurenai must not know I'm alive."

_If I didn't know something was going on earlier, that just about tells me outright. _

"I won't say anything." I volunteer, walking up next to Naruto.

The blonde Namikaze doesn't speak for a second, and my elbow finds its way to his ribs.

"Naruto…" I mutter in annoyance.

His expression changes to one of surprise.

"Yeah, I won't say anything either." Naruto assures her.

I notice Kurenai approaching with my Byakugan, and I can tell that Haruka noticed as well. The female ANBU disappears three seconds before Kurenai lands near us, relief spreading across her face.

"You're both all right." She speaks; her relief more and more apparent with every second.

"Kurenai-sensei, was that who I think that was back there?" I ask.

"Yes, it was Itachi Uchiha, the criminal shinobi who nearly slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan in a single night."

_Almost the entire clan, except for Sasuke-kun and your teacher, but you don't even know that. Right now, you think she's dead, and she's told us that it's important that you think she's dead, that no one knows she's alive._

"How bad is the damage?" Naruto asks, and Kurenai turns her gaze to him.

"Kakashi Hatake is in a coma, Itachi did something to him, used some jutsu on him, and he's with the medical corps now."

_He's only like that because I'm here. If I wasn't here, then Itachi wouldn't have…_

Both Naruto and Kurenai-sensei look at me with analytical eyes, and Kurenai-sensei opens her mouth, but Naruto speaks first.

"Hinata." He begins, clasping his hands down on my shoulders, and nearly making me jump in surprise. "This isn't your fault; you didn't have anything to do with what happened so don't you dare blame yourself!"

I open my mouth to argue, but Naruto keeps talking.

"Kakashi did what he did because he wanted to protect the village from outside invaders."

"But, they came for me." I try to argue.

His features change to an honest questioning expression.

"Did you call them here, did you want them here?" He asks with sincerity in his voice.

I shake my head no, and Naruto cracks a smile.

"That settles it then, if you didn't want them in the village, and you didn't call them, how can it be your fault?"

_I guess he's right…_

"I'll do whatever I can to help Kakashi and the other people of the village recover, from everything that's happened recently."

"Both of you follow me." Kurenai orders us.

"Wh-why...?" I stammer, but Kurenai begins walking, and I fall in line with Naruto walking next to me on my left.

"This village is in need of a medical specialist, someone who can lend the village their power and hasten the village's recovery. There are very few people in the world that fit that bill, and Hokage-sama believes that the kunoichi Tsunade could do it."

"Tsunade, you mean the obaa-chan that was teammates with Jiraiya-san and Orochimaru-san?" Naruto asks, and Kurenai nods once.

"Is that possible, can Tsunade really help the village?" I ask.

"Minato-sama seems fairly certain that Tsunade can help. He says her skills with medical ninjutsu are beyond compare, and even the members of the medical corps could learn something from her."

"How will Tsunade help?" I ask. "If I remember the academy lessons correctly, she left the village under a mutual agreement with her attendant and disappeared, no one knows where she is."

"That's exactly why Hokage-sama wants to send a team of shinobi out to find her. Hyuga specialize in reconnaissance, though it is up to Hokage-sama who goes on the mission."

&

Kurenai-sensei leads Naruto and me to the Hokage's office, and when Naruto and I walk into his office after our teacher, The Fourth is busy at work. He sits at his desk with papers strewn about him. Standing behind Minato is Jiraiya, and Naruto immediately recognizes the gray haired shinobi.

"It's ero-sennin!" Naruto practically yells.

The older shinobi immediately glares back at the Fourth Hokage's son.

"Where do you get off calling me that kid?" Jiraiya demands.

Minato clears his throat, cutting off the conversation before it can begin. I glance at Kurenai-sensei, seeing her shake her head slowly.

_I guess Naruto listened when I talked to him about my training with Jiraiya and how perverted he is._

"Kurenai, I assume you've told them about my plan?" Minato asks my teacher, and she nods once.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kurenai responds.

"As you all know the village is extremely weak right now, and all of the remaining skilled shinobi are needed to undertake missions. We have many skilled shinobi who are lying in hospital beds, their injuries too severe for the medical corps to treat on their own. Because of that, this village is in severe need of a trained medical specialist, and the Sannin known as Tsunade is a prime candidate to fill that need." He pauses a moment. "Because of that, I can't spare a proper team of shinobi to search for Tsunade, so I'd like to ask you Hinata, because you're a Hyuga, and I can trust you."

"I'd be happy to search for Tsunade, Hokage-sama." I respond, clenching my right hand into a fist. "But, even if I can find her, there's no guarantee that I can make her come back."

"I can handle that." Jiraiya pipes up. "I've known her for the better part of her life; I can convince her to return. However, finding her will be a problem, though I have been keeping tabs on both of my former teammates. Tsunade has racked up quite a large gambling debt, and she transforms between her younger and older appearances to throw off debt collectors." He explains. "The only constant is her attendant, Shizune, all we have to do is find Shizune and we'll find Tsunade."

"I'm going too!" Naruto demands, stomping his feet on the floor.

The Hokage looks at his progeny with surprise in his eyes.

"Naruto." He begins, but the blonde boy starts speaking again.

"I'm not going to let Hinata go off alone with that gray haired PERVERT!" Naruto says, pointing at Jiraiya.

Minato cracks a smile.

"Fine then." He assents. "So, the shinobi team will be Hinata Hyuga, Naruto Namikaze and Jiraiya-sensei, do any of you have any questions?"

I raise my left hand, and Minato's eyes shift to me.

"Um, why would Tsunade have an attendant?" I ask. "Is she incapable of taking care of herself or something?"

"Tsunade is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, many people of the village would dedicate their lives to serving her."

_That doesn't make any sense, why would she abandon the place her grandfather founded?_

"Well, I just want to say that I'm glad you're sending me out with Hinata, dad." Naruto begins. "I can't imagine her being off alone with a 50 year old perverted hermit."

Jiraiya's eyes flash to Naruto, a glare appearing in his eyes.

"Where did you hear such slander?" Jiraiya demands; while still glaring at Naruto.

"I heard it from a reliable source, namely Hinata Hyuga!" Naruto responds, growling at Jiraiya.

Naruto glares at Jiraiya, and Jiraiya glares back at him.

Minato sighs heavily.

"Sarutobi-sama, how'd you ever do what you did…"

Minato clears his throat, interrupting the two of them.

"Well, you're going Naruto, and you'll have to deal with him being there, Jiraiya sensei." Minato speaks up, taking control of the situation.

Jiraiya scoffs.

"Like I'd try anything with an undeveloped twelve year old girl." Jiraiya mutters.

"You'd get lonely Jiraiya, and all that pent up perversion you've got inside of you would be released on Hinata if Naruto wasn't there to keep you in check."

"I'm no babysitter." Jiraiya retorts.

"I don't need babysitting!" Naruto declares confidently.

"Naruto and I can find Tsunade, all Jiraiya has to do is talk her into coming back to the village." I explain to them.

"Well, you're to leave as soon as you're all ready." Minato says.

&

30 minutes later, Naruto, Jiraiya and I are standing at the village gate, all three of us wear hiking backpacks. I don't really feel the weight on my back.

_I'm leaving the village, no more hiding and putting other people in danger because I'm here. At least I'm going out, doing SOMETHING to protect the village._

The three of us start walking, with Jiraiya in the lead and Naruto and I walking nearly shoulder to shoulder behind him. Our mood is somber, a silence falling over the three of us. I use my Byakugan to search the area, the kekkei genkai flooding my insight with our general area, my range of visibility growing larger and larger with time. It isn't long before Jiraiya speaks up, the old man obviously uncomfortable with the silence between us.

"We're heading for Tsunade's last known location, a small border town just inside the border with the Land of Fire. Once we're there, we'll ask around and take advantage of Hinata's Byakugan to locate Tsunade. Once we find her, I'll do the talking and get the slug princess to finally come back." He outlines our plan.

_That's all well and good, but Naruto and I know absolutely nothing about Tsunade or what she's like._

"Jiraiya-sama, what was Tsunade like?" I ask the Toad Sage.

The old man looks up, a look of remembrance setting into his features, a sly smile coming across his lips while he thinks about his former teammate.

"She was a powerful kunoichi, and could beat the crap out of just about anyone, and one of the only women who never put up with my peeping." He explains, pausing for a moment. "But, at the same time she was also one of the kindest, most gentle people I've ever known, deep down she was a really fragile woman, in spite of everything that happened…" He trails off. "She could heal almost any injury, and she's saved me from being a paraplegic a couple of times."

"But, why would a shinobi learn so much about healing during wartime?" Naruto asks, speaking before I do.

"It was because of that war that she learned to heal." Jiraiya responds. "She lost a lot of what was important to her, family and loved ones, and was the pain from that loss that ultimately drove her from the village."

Naruto scoffs in contempt.

"That's bull." He mutters. "What kind of woman just takes off and leaves the village when she had so many commitments?" He asks.

Jiraiya shakes his head slowly.

"Tsunade is a complicated woman, and she did a lot for the leaf village, in spite of what you think."

"What did that old hag really do?" He asks, shrugging his shoulders.

"She's the one who made it policy for every team of shinobi going out into combat have at least one medic ninja accompany them, and she's the one who practically founded the medical corps that you, Hinata, and just about everyone else in your generation takes for granted." Jiraiya reminds us both. "When Tsunade was in the village, she had a lot of pull with the Third, and without her backing the idea, I doubt that the medical corps would've been created, and many shinobi of the leaf wouldn't be alive today. To top it all off, from her standpoint, all Konoha has ever done for her is kill the people she loves."

Jiraiya stops there, giving both Naruto and me something to think about.

_If that's true, then I can't even begin to imagine how I'd act in the same situation. If Naruto ever died on a mission, and the people I cared about were all dead, I doubt I'd want to stay in Konoha too. Though, I'm the Jinchuriki, and I doubt I'd be welcome in the village if I didn't have anyone precious to me there, but Tsunade is the granddaughter of the First, so…_

"Do you still think its bull that Tsunade left the village?" Jiraiya asks.

The blonde boy shakes his head no.

With that, the three of us head toward Tanzaku, the border town where Tsunade was apparently last seen.

"Um, what can you tell me about Itachi Uchiha and the Akatsuki?" I ask Jiraiya.

"What do you know about them?" The elder shinobi asks in return.

"Um, Hokage-sama told me that they're looking for the tailed beasts, but not much else…" I trail off.

"Well, Orochimaru was once a member of their ranks, but Orochimaru broke off on his own, while the Akatsuki have been working in two man teams like the two that came to Konoha. The two that came to Konoha were looking for you Hinata, and they're probably shadowing us right now."

_They're following us even now, and he openly admits it?_

I look around, scanning with my Byakugan, suddenly not feeling as safe as before Jiraiya opened his mouth.

"I can't see anything." I comment, and Jiraiya smirks.

"Itachi Uchiha is a genjutsu type, and an expert genjutsu user at that, plus he's got a fully matured Sharingan. I bet he could fool even the Byakugan if he tried."

"Well, what would they want with the Kyuubi? It's nothing but an imprisoned demon, isn't it?" Naruto asks.

Jiraiya shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know what they want with it exactly, but I can only guess that they want it to try and extract its near limitless amount of chakra for some dark purpose. What that purpose is, I can't even begin to fathom."

"What could they possibly want with an uncontrollable monster like the Kyuubi?"

Jiraiya smirks confidently.

"The Kyuubi is far from uncontrollable." Jiraiya counters. "The First Hokage could control tailed beasts, and that's one of the reasons he was chosen as the First Hokage. It's also rumored that the Uchiha and the Sharingan can control the just the Kyuubi."

_What?_

"Where did you hear that?" I ask. "I knew that the First had that power, but I didn't know anything about the Uchiha and their Sharingan."

"As the Hokage, Minato Namikaze is privy to a lot of information, and he often would ask his old teacher to come around Konoha every so often so Minato could vent, and ask for advice."

"How is that possible, if you've been gone for the majority of the time that Minato-sama has been Hokage?"

Jiraiya smiles before reaching into his pocket. He withdraws an ordinary looking piece of paper no bigger then his hand. He flips the paper around, revealing the contents to be a strange looking jutsu formula that I've never seen before. However, Naruto's eyes light up in recognition.

"Hey, that's dad's special teleportation formula!" Naruto exclaims in recognition.

Jiraiya keeps his smile on his features.

"With this, Minato can be at my side in a moment. It's great for when he needs to talk to someone late at night, though he hardly ever uses it anymore." Jiraiya comments before he returns the paper to his pocket.

"I bet he's caught you peeping on women almost every time he's come to visit!" Naruto says with a grin, and Jiraiya's expression changes to one of shocked surprise.

"I thought he swore he wasn't going to tell anyone…" Jiraiya begins, but Naruto cuts him off, pointing a finger at the perverted toad sage.

"AH HA, I knew it!" Naruto practically yells out. "You're nothing but a dirty old pervert who peeks at women while they're bathing!"

"I am NOT, and for the last time, what I do is RESEARCH for my next book!" Jiraiya argues.

Naruto opens his mouth, and I clear my throat, interrupting their argument before it can continue. Though, I can't help wearing a slight smile while I speak.

"As entertaining as it is to watch the two of you argue, and as much as I agree with Naruto, there are more productive things we could be talking about." I remind them, and the old man nods once.

"You're right." He begins, getting back on topic. "Basically, as long as I have that paper, anyone familiar with Minato's Flying Thunder God Jutsu can appear near me, but as far as I know, Minato hasn't taught the technique to anyone, not even you, right Naruto?" Jiraiya asks, and the blonde nods once.

"Yeah, Dad says that his taijutsu is more versatile than the teleportation, and would rather I learn the taijutsu over the teleportation, since it consumes a lot of chakra, and not even he can use the Flying Thunder God for very long."

"I see." I mutter, and the old man turns back toward the road, a silence falling across us again.

_Well, at least no one's following us, not that I can see anyway, and if they haven't already leapt out to attack then they probably won't before we reach Tanzaku._

&

Naruto, Jiraiya and I arrive at the town of Tanzaku about a day later near dusk. We stand near the town limits while the people of the border town get ready to go in for the night, the market and all the shops in it beginning to close while other…gentleman's establishments are preparing to open.

"Well, this is the last place Tsunade was last seen, so we'll start looking here, and hopefully we'll find something." Jiraiya informs us, turning toward me after he speaks. "Think you can look around real quick; see if you can see her? Focus on the gambling halls and Pachinko machines."

I assent, putting my hands together and activating my Byakugan. I look around the town using the kekkei genkai, the world turning a dull gray, with people showing up as chakra sources unless I turn my full attention toward them. Scanning the town, I don't see any particular large or unordinary sources of chakra. Thus, a few moments after I activate my Byakugan, the veins around my eyes fade, and I shake my head.

"No luck?" Jiraiya asks with hope in his voice.

I shake my head no again.

"I couldn't see anyone fitting the description you gave me, nor could I see any odd sources of chakra throughout the town. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say Tsunade isn't here."

The 50 year old sighs heavily.

"I was afraid of that." He mutters, looking up at the darkening dusk sky. "I was hoping we'd be able to find her quickly, and wouldn't have to resort to doing footwork, but it looks like I won't get off that easy."

"She's supposed to be some really hard to find person isn't she?" Naruto points out. "If you could locate her that easy, then there wouldn't be much point to hiding, would there?" He continues. "Besides, if Hina-hime wasn't here, you'd have to do the footwork anyway, and don't rely on her too much, it wasn't her idea to come here, so she shouldn't have to do all the work."

Hearing him call me that, I force myself to suppress a blush, knowing it's childish to feel embarrassed about someone you care about calling you his 'hime.'

"Hmm…?" Jiraiya begins, turning his attention to the Namikaze boy. "Why shouldn't I have Hinata help, she's a Hyuga, and is more suited to this mission then I am, and the quicker we find Tsunade the better. Are you just jealous that I've got her attention rather then you?" Jiraiya asks.

It's obvious that the old pervert hits the nail on the head, as Naruto's cheeks turn red and the blonde boy looks away quickly.

"That isn't the reason!" He quickly protests. "It's just, dad sent YOU to find Tsunade, so you should do some of the location work, rather then just push it all onto Hina-hime."

"But, she's best suited to do a recon mission, you know that." Jiraiya argues, and Naruto glares at him.

"You should do most of the work, Hina-hime's only here to keep the Akatsuki out of the village, and I'm only here to protect Hina-hime from your perverted nature." Naruto retorts.

Jiraiya sighs, shaking his head slowly like a parent dealing with a child that won't listen.

"Like I'll do anything with a twelve year old…" Jiraiya mutters, and then raises his gaze, a serious expression setting into his features. "We may as well get on with this, arguing amongst ourselves won't get us closer to finding Tsunade."

He starts walking into the town, and both Naruto and I follow the 'Toad Sage' into the town of Tanzaku. Naruto intentionally has me hang back behind Jiraiya a few steps, the boy holding his arm out to move me back slowly.

"I wanna keep you out of his peripheral vision." Naruto informs me, and I nod my understanding.

We walk for fifteen minutes, the entire time Naruto glares at Jiraiya's back. I can tell in Jiraiya's body language that after a while the Toad Sage is uncomfortably aware of Naruto's gaze; in spite of not being able to see it. The gray haired shinobi turns around, spinning on the wooden sandals he wears and glaring at Naruto, pointing with his right arm at the Namikaze child.

"Just what is your problem kid?" Jiraiya demands, no real anger in his voice, just severely uncomfortable.

Naruto scoffs.

"I'm just watching a perverted old man closely, that's all." He explains, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "That way, if you try and fondle Hina-hime I'll be able to stop you."

Again, I force myself not to blush, knowing that it would only draw Jiraiya's attention toward me, and he'd mercilessly make jokes at my expense about it.

"You're both KIDS!" He practically screams at him. "Furthermore, Hinata would have to be the last girl on the planet before I even entertained thoughts about fondling her!"

By now, people have begun to stop and stare, and it's only now that Jiraiya notices this. For once, I feel relief that the people aren't staring at ME, instead they stare at the 50 year old yelling about fondling children.

_If I was one of them, I'd probably stop and stare too._

"Someone should get that old man away from those two children before he does something to them…" I hear a woman mutter, and her voice doesn't escape Jiraiya's hearing.

_Even though I've got my headband around my neck, and Naruto is wearing his headband, they still think we're just little kids?_

Jiraiya looks around; the old man begins to wave his hands in self defense, speaking quickly.

"This isn't what it looks like, I swear!" Jiraiya protests the assembled gazes.

However, the accusing stares don't stop, and Jiraiya quickly reaches out, grabbing Naruto and me by our packs. The old man takes off like a bolt of lightning, practically dragging the two of us along for the ride. He runs like that for ten seconds, and quickly ducks into an alley between buildings, putting us far enough away from the assembled crowd. The old man stops and releases our packs, shaking his head slowly.

"I'm too old for this shit." He mutters dryly.

Ignoring Jiraiya's compliant; I look around and see that he's led us to the red light district part of Tanzaku, an area filled with bars, gambling halls, and brothels…

_Oh no._

"Hey, are we where I think we are?" Naruto mutters and Jiraiya stands up straight.

"Yes, and I meant to bring us here." Jiraiya proclaims.

Naruto's fist impacts the back of Jiraiya's head, the blonde boy actually having to jump to hit the elder shinobi on the back of the head.

"I knew you were a dirty pervert!" Naruto growls, glaring up at Jiraiya's pain stricken face.

The Toad Sannin holds the back of his head, his face set in a grim expression of pain.

"What the hell was that for?" He asks, rubbing the back of his skull.

"Hina-hime and I aren't going to wait outside a brothel while you go inside and get your rocks off!" Naruto declares to him, a growl to my teammate's voice.

The Namikaze has his right fist still tightly balled, his arm cocked at his elbow with his fist half raised; ready to hit the Toad Sage again. I reach out, touching my teammate's shoulder gently, lightly squeezing it to get his attention. Naruto turns his head toward me, a look of surprise on his face.

"Hina-hime?" Naruto mutters in surprise.

I keep my voice calm and even, not wanting to discourage Naruto from standing up for people he cares about.

_Not that I mind it…_

"I don't think Jiraiya-san would lead us to red light district without a reason, and I don't believe he would put personal pleasure before a mission, am I right Jiraiya-san?"

He nods, closing his eyes and crossing his arms, the pain on the back of his head forgotten.

"Tsunade has a well known reputation for being a sucker for a bet, to the point where she's garnered the nickname 'Legendary Sucker.' No matter how far the long shot, she'll always take the bet, and it's one of the reasons she's on the run and hiding, because she doesn't have the money to repay the people she's borrowed money from to maintain her habit." Jiraiya explains. "Therefore, the best place to find information on her would be in the red light district and their gambling halls."

The reasoning seems to click for Naruto, but he quickly looks back at Jiraiya.

"Both Hina-hime and I are too young to be here, you know that!" He protests, and the old man sighs again.

"I know; I know…" He mutters, waving his hand. "The two of you don't have to actually go inside any of the buildings, just stand outside while I go in and do the information gathering, simple as that."

"Fine." Naruto assents, letting Jiraiya win the argument.

The old man smiles a cocky grin.

"All right, I'll go into the establishments and ask around for Tsunade, the two of you wait outside until I come back for you, if I find any useful information, I'll let you both know."

Naruto nods his understanding, and I do the same.

With that, Jiraiya starts of toward the first gambling hall, a perk in his step that wasn't there before.

_Dirty old man._

&

With that, Jiraiya starts going into gambling halls, all the while Naruto and I wait out in the street in front of the building for what feels like hours. Each time the Sannin goes into one of the halls, I look at my watch, and when he emerges, I check my watch again. After the fourth hall he goes into, I realize that he's in each hall for at least 30 minutes, and the gambling hall where scantily clad large breasted women were outside, he was in for over an hour and a half.

_He actually enjoys this kind of stuff?_

The entire time Jiraiya 'investigates,' Naruto and I stuck on the street of the red light district of a border town at night. If not for his presence and our headbands, I doubt that I would remain alone on the street for very long. Women who stand outside of brothels watch us, the whores dressed in clothes that no real woman would ever wear, calling to men who pass by like the strumpets they are.

"Play your pachinko here! Everybody wins come on in!" A male barker outside of a nearby hall yells out to the people in the street.

_If I couldn't see him, I'd swear he was a recording on an endless loop._

I move closer to Naruto, feeling incredibly nervous for the first time in a long while.

_I've never seen so much perversion before in my whole life. Compared to this, living in the Hyuga manor with Hizashi is paradise._

"Hey little man…" I hear one of the strumpets purrs from behind us, talking to Naruto.

The hair stands on the back of his neck, and Naruto shakes his head, closing his eyes, trying not to turn around and look at the woman. With my eyes, I see her in my peripheral vision, a woman with long blonde hair, wearing a purple bodice and matching high boots, her chest put on display for the whole word to see.

_How sick can you get, we're twelve year olds._

I notice Naruto swallow the saliva in his throat, and his right hand finds my left hand. My teammate grips my hand, and I can feel him barely shaking, showing how anxious he is.

_Come on you old pervert, finish up and let's get out of here._

Jiraiya emerges from the gambling hall, and I fight the urge to sigh in relief. He walks straight to us, a business like demeanor around him.

"Tsunade was here a few days ago." He informs the both of us. "It's possible she's still here, but she's probably transformed to dodge some of the debt collectors."

_Finally, this wasn't all in vain…_

The Toad Sage notices the whores behind us, and I see his eyes light up, his hands rising up to his shoulder level. His fingers twitch as though he were holding something round in his hand.

_Dirty old, sonofabitch._

Before I can move, Naruto whacks Jiraiya on the back of the head again.

"Get your head outta your pants you dirty pervert!" Naruto scolds in anger.

The old man whimpers, rubbing at the back of his head, and Naruto scoffs.

"You've been looking for over three hours, and we don't have any solid leads." He points out, and Jiraiya shakes his head.

"Don't worry you two, we're going to get a hotel room for the night, we'll resume our search tomorrow, okay?" He outlines his plan, and for once, both Naruto and I nod.

&

Jiraiya keeps his word; an hour later the three of us are in a hotel room with two beds and a rollaway bed inside the room. Naruto and I are in our pajamas, and I've just emerged from the bathroom after showering and changing clothes.

Jiraiya sits on the edge of one of the beds, while Naruto sits on the side of the rollaway, having already offered me the other real bed.

_What could I say? I tried to argue, but he wouldn't listen._

"Well, since the two of you are going to bed for the night, I'm going out for a drink." Jiraiya says, standing up from his seat.

"What about Hina-hime?" Naruto asks. "If you're gone, won't Akatsuki come for her?"

His question is like a hot stove poker stabbed into my back, nearly making me jump.

_That's right! If he goes off and gets drunk, then won't the two from earlier attack?_

"I don't think you've got much to worry about." Jiraiya says. "Right now, I'd say they're probably still on their way back to report to their leader. For now, we'll be safe, but in a few more days, I'm sure they'll return, and then we'll be in trouble."

"Oh." Naruto says in enlightenment, and I force myself not to repeat the expression.

"You two, don't do anything I would, okay?" Jiraiya asks, and then starts for the door.

The old man looks back at us over his left shoulder, a grin spread on his features.

"Shut up you old pervert!" Naruto practically screams, and then Jiraiya's out the door.

The door quietly closes behind the Toad Sage, leaving Naruto and I alone. I sigh in exhaustion, walking to the bed and sitting on it, my feet aching from all the walking and standing I've done in the last 24 hours.

_It feels good just to sit down._

For a long moment, neither Naruto nor I speak. The silence between us comfortable, and at the same time, not so comfortable.

_What can I say? I've already told him I love him, and I've even kissed him, but what should I do now?_

"Hey…Hinata, can I show you something?" He asks me in a casual tone.

I nod once, muttering an affirmative before he stands up, moving away from the bed and to the center of the room. He stands with his legs apart, putting his hands together in a hand sign. I see a barely visible shimmer of chakra in the air, and then there's a puff of smoke.

_Ninjutsu._

The smoke conceals him for a moment, and in that moment I wonder what just happened, what exactly Naruto wants to show me.

_Activating the Byakugan would just waste time and chakra, though what would he want to show me that he would wait until Jiraiya leaves before he asks me about it?_

When the smoke clears, I don't believe what I'm seeing.

Where Naruto once stood, a now almost mirror image of me stands with her hands together in front of her, her arms at her sides and cocked at the elbows. 'She' wears the same clothes I normally wear on missions, and even has a headband around 'her' neck. However, what's different is this version of me has two small fox like ears above where my normal ears would be, the ears the same color as my hair, and a small tail hangs behind 'her.'

_What is this?_

"Hi, I'm Kawaii-Hinata." The transformed Naruto says, his voice matching mine, his hands opening, and his fingers bent at the knuckles to make them look cat's paws. "Aren't I just adorable?"

For a moment, I'm silent, and in that moment, I actually SEE what I'm seeing and I HEAR what I'm hearing.

It isn't until the 'cute' expression on the transformed me changes, the transformation undoing and a very concerned Naruto emerges from the cloud of smoke.

"Hina-hime…?" He asks with his voice filled with concern.

_He just called me cute._

Tears stream down my cheeks, and I don't even care that he made an allusion to the Kyuubi with the fox ears and tail.

Naruto on the other hand, thinks he's saddened me, and his mouth opens, and apology flying from his lips.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan." He says, no longer using the shortened version of my name or the princess honorific, his tone telling me he feels like an eel. "I didn't mean to make you sad…I…" He trails off, not knowing what else to say.

_He called me cute._

Before I know it, I'm off the bed and I run to him, practically tackling him when I wrap my arms around him, and I bury my head in his chest, tears of joy running down my face onto his pajama top.

"Hinata-chan?" He mutters, not knowing what to do or say.

"Naruto…" I mutter; my voice full of happiness. "I've never been so happy."Standing there, holding him, my face buried in his chest, I can't help but want that moment to stretch into eternity.

_Even if it's a lie, let me believe what you just said for a moment, just another moment more before you tell me the truth._

I feel his hands on my shoulders, a reassuring feeling in his gentle grip.

"I thought you'd like what I had to show you." He finally says.

I nod, pulling my head back far enough and moving my left arm to wipe my eyes on my left sleeve.

"It's one of the best things I've ever seen."

I see him smile a happy smile.

"I'm glad I could make you smile, Hina-hime."

I lean back into his chest, putting my left ear against his chest, and I hear the rhythm of his heart beat, and I close my eyes, putting my hands on his stomach.

"Can I stay like this, just for a moment?" I ask, and hear his assent.

Before I even know what's going on, I'm out like a light, Naruto's warmth guiding me to a peaceful sleep.

&

I awake the next morning, lying in the bed in the hotel room. I open my eyes and I see a familiar face leaning over me. The man has a Sharingan, with dark hair and a scratched leaf headband. I recognize Itachi Uchiha, the man who tried to kidnap me from the leaf village not three days earlier.

I try to scream, to try and open my mouth to yell for help, but nothing happens. My mouth doesn't move, and my vocal chords don't produce any sound. I try to my arms, to strike Itachi in the forehead and obliterate his brain with a gentle blow, but my body won't move.

"Don't bother." Itachi mutters, reaching down and wrapping me in blankets. "You've been under a paralysis jutsu since you began to stir awake."

_No, I don't want this, this can't be happening._

"You will come with me." He begins, picking me up. "With you, the Akatsuki will be one step closer to our goals."

I want to cry out, to scream for help or at least try to fight the murderous Uchiha, but my body won't respond.

_Why couldn't I get one more moment in Naruto's arms?_

The man moves to walk around the bed, holding me in front of his chest with both arms.

_I don't want this; I don't want to die._

The door flies open, and a yellow-orange blur enters the room, and the next thing I know I'm on the other side of the room, near the door, with Naruto holding me and Jiraiya behind me. I see that Itachi still stands with his arms out, as though he were holding me, and then lowers his arms a moment later, a calm in his Sharingan.

"It won't be that easy." Jiraiya explains to the Uchiha. "If you want Hinata, you'll have to contend with me, Jiraiya the Toad Sage!"

"You'll also have the second Yellow Flash of Konoha to deal with!" Naruto proclaims.

Itachi looks between the two of them, with me still under the effect of his paralysis jutsu.

"I will return." Itachi says simply, and then the cloaked man leaps out of the window.

A moment later the Uchiha is gone, not desiring to fight against the Toad Mountain Sage and the young son of the Yellow Flash.

Naruto carries me over to the bed, my body still paralyzed by whatever jutsu Itachi used on me. Naruto gently lies me down on the bed, his movements slow and careful. Jiraiya moves next to Naruto, looking down at me a moment with a serious expression in his eyes.

"A paralysis jutsu." He mutters with relief apparent in his tone.

He starts making hand signs, and Naruto starts talking.

"I'm sorry Hina-hime!" He practically stammers. "Me and the old pervert were only gonna be gone a moment and we wanted to let you sleep, and…" He apologizes.

"Even I didn't think anything would go wrong." Jiraiya offers.

His hands glow blue with chakra, and he hovers them over my body. As he waves his hand over my body, I feel my limbs begin to respond, my ability to speak quickly returning to me when Jiraiya finishes undoing the jutsu.

"It's all right." I try to assuage Naruto, who is visibly regretful. "You both came back when you did, and that's all that matters." I rationalize.

Naruto shakes his head in denial, his right hand balled into a white knuckle fist.

"No, it isn't all right, and I won't leave you alone again Hinata, I swear it." He swears to me.

"I underestimated Akatsuki, but that won't happen again." Jiraiya begins. "Naruto and I wanted to let you sleep a little because we both felt bad for you, but that won't be happening again." He explains. "From now on, the three of us move as a group, and I've got a lead on Tsunade's location. We'll be heading there in one hour, so you both have until then to get cleaned up and ready to leave." He pauses. "Once we find her, we can hopefully bring her back to the village without any trouble."

"That would be good." I comment, looking down toward the ground.

_The sooner we get this mission wrapped, the sooner Konoha can recover._

Naruto, Jiraiya and I use the single hour to pack up and get clean, and once the time is up, the three of us leave the hotel and hit the streets again.

_Here we go…_

&

Naruto and I have been following Jiraiya for three days since we left the hotel in Tanzaku, and we've since arrived in another border town.

We walk into the town with Jiraiya in the lead, the Sannin leading the search for his old comrade. We walk past hotels and other 'proper' establishments, and in the distance I see gambling houses and more 'seedy' establishments…

"What're we doing going to more gambling houses?" Naruto demands from the gray haired shinobi.

"I told you already," Jiraiya begins. "Tsunade is called the Legendary Sucker because she can't turn down a bet, so we'll most likely find her in a gambling house until the late hours of the morning."

"And how do you know Tsunade is in THIS town?" Naruto asks, still not completely trusting the old shinobi.

Jiraiya smiles as he half looks back toward Naruto.

"I won it in a bet." Jiraiya retorts as though it was perfectly acceptable to base a personal search on information gambled for.

"WHAT?" He practically screams at the older shinobi. "You're leading us around on information you got from a gambler?"

Jiraiya nods once.

"When you defeat a gambler at their own game, they're honor bound to give you whatever you gambled for. In my case, I gambled money, they gambled information, and I won. I highly doubt the man was lying when he told me Tsunade is here."

Naruto shakes his head slowly.

"Can someone like that really be a legendary shinobi? I mean she dodges debt collectors and STILL keeps gambling."

"Well, Jiraiya is a huge pervert, but he's a legendary shinobi that a lot of people respect." I point out, and Naruto nods once, a vein appearing on Jiraiya's face over his left eye at my statement.

In spite of my argument, I can tell that Naruto doesn't really believe that Tsunade is who Jiraiya claims she is.

_What can I do to convince him that Tsunade is what she is?_

I rack my brain for several minutes while I follow Jiraiya in silence, and I can't think of anything other then what I've already said.

Naruto moves closer to me while we walk, sidling next to me and leaning close to my ear, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"You know, now that I've learned about them, the Sannin don't seem so legendary like they taught us at the academy." Naruto whispers to me, and I suppress a snicker.

"Well…" I begin, keeping my voice low to match his. "No one is perfect, not even legendary shinobi." I gently remind him. "Your dad is one of the most well known shinobi in the world, and he absolutely loves to get on your mother's nerves, which wouldn't make any sense to someone who doesn't know your parents."

Naruto shrugs, keeping close to me to keep his voice low.

"It's just weird that all these legends really aren't that legendary." He mutters.

"All 'legendary' people are still human, Naruto." Jiraiya reminds the blonde boy. "You shouldn't expect people to stop being human just because another person has claimed that they're worthy of 'legendary' status."

"But, people look up to the Sannin, young shinobi aspire to be like you guys." Naruto argues.

Jiraiya shakes his head.

"We never asked for any of that." He retorts simply. "We were just shinobi doing our duty during turbulent times, and we were all just trying to survive, to live to see another sunrise…" He trails off.

In the corner of his eyes I can see him reliving the memories he's speaking of, and I can only wonder at what carnage the Sannin has seen, or what he's had to do in order to stay alive as a shinobi as long as he has.

_Who knows how many people he's killed, or how many comrades he's had to watch die?_

After that, the three of us are quiet. Naruto reflects on what Jiraiya has just told him, and I try not to think about what the Sannin has just revealed.

Jiraiya leads us through the town, and after nearly ten minutes, a new thought occurs to me.

_I wonder if he's lying to us, just leading us through town from place to place to he can visit brothels and gamble away his money?_

&

Several hours of 'searching' pass before the old Sannin sighs once, his sigh showing his frustration.

"I need a drink." Jiraiya mutters, turning toward a nearby bar.

He starts walking toward the bar, and Naruto pipes up.

"Hey, we're both too young to go into a place like that!" Naruto argues, and Jiraiya sighs again.

"Look kid, just keep your mouth shut and don't bother anyone, and no one will bother you, got it?" Jiraiya suggests, and Naruto nods once.

Naruto mutters something that I can't make out, though he and I still follow Jiraiya into the bar.

The bar is a small joint, well lit with tables and booths filling an open 40 square foot room. Behind the bar there are countless glass bottles filled to varying levels with different colored booze, some labeled, some not. The bar itself is wooden, the same stained wood color as the floor. On the far side of the room, sitting at a booth in a corner, an older blonde woman catches my eye. She sits at the table staring down at a cup, a deeply depressed look in her eyes. The woman wears a gray blouse and dark blue pants, her blonde hair long and tied into two pig tails with her bangs parted in the front. Around her neck she wears a necklace with a green crystal on it, and for an older woman she's very well endowed. Next to her sits a dark haired woman with dark eyes who wears a dark short sleeved kimono. The dark haired woman is younger then the blonde, and wears a worried expression on her face as she looks at the blonde woman sitting next to her.

Upon our entrance, the blonde woman looks up, recognition replacing the sadness that disappears from her eyes in an instant, and almost immediately Jiraiya's right arm shoots out, his pointer finger pointing at the blonde woman.

"Jiraiya!" She speaks out loud in surprise at the same time as Jiraiya opens his mouth.

"Tsunade!"

_Well, here we go…_

Next time: Tsunade and Jiraiya, the Sannin reunion. How will Tsunade react to Jiraiya traveling around with both Hinata and the Hokage's son? Stay tuned…


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Slugs, Toads, Flashes and Demons

Well, here' 19 for you folks. This one's weird, a lot happens, and at the same time a lot doesn't happen. With this one, I can safely assume that Part 1 will end with 20, and after I finish that chapter I'll be taking at least a week off from writing this. I've been working on the outline for this, and have it well into the second Part, so you needn't worry about me not having source material to go with. This one ends on a natural cliffhanger that felt right, and the next one will be mostly original content (if not ALL original content) though Hinata's mandatory leaving will be at the end. Oh, for those of you who like my Omake's and short changes of perspective, they'll be an epilogue at the end of 20 that will change to an unlikely POV, so look forward to it, as well as the contents of 20. I can assure you that most of you won't see what I've got in store for you coming, and I hope you enjoy it. As always, reviews are welcome and appreciated, and I do read them, and will try to respond to your questions if you ask them. A big thank you goes out to Blinkin, he actually caught a major mistake I made and fixed it, so a big Kudos to him.

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 19: Slugs, Toads, Flashes and Demons

"What the hell are you doing here Jiraiya?" Tsunade demands before standing up behind the table.

The blonde woman glares at Jiraiya, and then looks to Naruto and me, and I can only imagine the thoughts passing through her head.

_So, that's the woman we've been looking for all this time. Who knew we'd find her wallowing in a bar._

Jiraiya waves his hand, starting toward the table without a word. I follow him, and Naruto follows suit, the blonde woman watches Jiraiya with intense eyes the entire time. The dark haired woman sitting next to Tsunade looks surprised, her eyes darting back and forth between Jiraiya and Tsunade. Jiraiya slips into the side of the table, Tsunade sitting on the side with chairs, stopping when he sits across from Tsunade. Tsunade sits down again when he reaches into his pocket without a word and withdraws a deck of playing cards, beginning to shuffle them while Naruto and I stand there.

"Both of you." He begins, speaking to Naruto and me with his voice hard as steel. "Sit down." He finishes, not a request.

Both Naruto and I do as we're told, Naruto sitting directly next to the old man while I sit on the edge of the booth.

"So, you've taken to traveling around with little kids Jiraiya?" Tsunade prods him, but the older man keeps his face even.

"Tsunade, I've been searching for you." He trails off, his voice lower then the blonde woman's, ignoring her comment.

The old woman raises an eyebrow.

"What'd you want you old lecher?" Tsunade snaps, obviously not happy and a little inebriated.

"Orochimaru attacked the village, and was killed in battle." Jiraiya pauses, dealing the cards to both of them. "However, Konoha suffered numerous casualties, and is in desperate need of your power once again."

The blonde woman scoffs, picking up the cards that lay in front of her.

"As if I care…" She dismisses the request. "Besides, isn't your miracle student the Hokage now, why can't he take care of it?" Tsunade asks sarcastically.

Naruto's left eyebrow twitches when Tsunade speaks disrespectfully about his father, but he doesn't overtly move. Beneath the table I see his hands ball into fists, his knuckles white due to the pressure.

"What do I care about that place?" Tsunade continues rhetorically. "It's nothing but a conclave of fools and idealistic dreamers."

The woman takes a sip of her sake, and a light bulb seems to come on in Jiraiya's head.

"Server I want another bottle of Sake over here!" Jiraiya takes a moment to order some of the rice wine for his personal consumption before continuing.

"Minato has given me the authority to give you all the power necessary to start a medical academy within Konoha." Jiraiya declares, returning his gaze to Tsunade and talking slowly while he eyes his cards.

A moment later the server comes, delivering Jiraiya's sake to him. The old man takes a big drink of the rice wine before setting the white ceramic cup down on the table.

"A medical academy, what's the point in that?" Tsunade retorts, her own eyes looking down at the cards in her hand.

Tsunade grabs three of the cards in her hand and then places them on the table. While Jiraiya deals out three new cards, the woman takes a drink of her sake.

"Minato wishes to see you return to the village, and unlike Sarutobi, he's willing to help you create a place where medical shinobi can be trained and taught and thrive in a place devoted to the healing arts." Jiraiya continues, sipping his drink after he speaks.

Jiraiya himself sets two of his cards down on the table, and then draws two more, a silence falling between the two Sannin.

"You honestly think I'll come back to the village Jiraiya?" Tsunade asks, her eyes going from her cards to her former teammate.

"The village needs you Tsunade, it is your home. Your grandfather founded it." Jiraiya insists, his tone soft in spite of the anger coming from his former teammate.

"Like I care…" She mutters.

Both of them lay their cards down, and I see Jiraiya has a full house, two 7's and three Queens while Tsunade has a pair of 5's and pair of Aces, meaning Jiraiya wins the hand.

"Tch." Tsunade scoffs, taking another drink of the sake. "How could I lose to some high profile babysitting village lap dog…?" She mutters in frustration.

I feel a change in the air, and before I know what's what, before I think even Jiraiya knows what's about to happen, Naruto practically lunges across the table and slams his left fist into Tsunade's jaw. Before I can even open my mouth, the intoxicated blonde Sannin falls backward, her head hitting the wooden floor with a thud, though I know Naruto didn't hit her as hard as he could, otherwise her jaw would be in pieces.

_He held back, rather then just wail on her…_

Before Jiraiya and I can form a syllable, before Shizune moves to check on her master, Naruto speaks.

"I'm sick of you disrespecting our home like that!" He declares to her, his hands on the table. "So shut up and stop talking about the village like you don't care about it!"

Tsunade lies with her back on the floor, her feet in the air with the chair gone from under her. Shizune is next to her master in a moment, already checking the wounds, and helping the older blonde woman to her feet, though Naruto keeps talking, though this time he speaks in a more subdued manor.

"I won't let anyone disrespect what Hina-hime has gone though to protect all these years." He practically growls, alluding to my being the container for the Kyuubi, my body acting as a prison to hold the demon.

Shizune helps the older blonde woman to her feet, and a part of me can't help but wonder…

_If Tsunade hadn't been swilling Sake like it's going out of style, would Naruto still have been able to hit her like that?_

Shizune holds the blonde woman up, and the inebriated Sannin glares at my teammate, a scowl set on her features, a red mark on her jaw the size of Naruto's fist.

"What'd YOU care about Konoha?" Tsunade demands from him, and I see Naruto grit his teeth.

His left fist rears back, and this time I touch his forearm, my touch like a rainstorm to the flame of anger that has sparked inside of Naruto. The blonde boy looks at me, a questioning expression in his pretty blue orbs.

"It's obvious to me that Jiraiya-dono's memory has advanced with his years, and it isn't what it used to be, as he must be mistaking you for someone else, Obaa-sama." I speak in a respectful tone to Tsunade. "There's no way someone once known as a Sannin of Konoha and granddaughter to the noble First Hokage would allow herself to be caught dead in a dive such as this one, wallowing in her sorrows and drowning them in alcohol." I finish.

Tsunade shifts her glare to me, the expression the same as one she gave to Naruto.

"And just who do YOU think you are?" She practically yells, the words partially slurred, showing her inebriation.

"I'm just a 12 year old kunoichi from Konoha, nothing more." I respond to her request.

It's then that recognition passes behind Tsunade's eyes, and the woman recognizes me. Were she not so heavily intoxicated, she probably would have recognized me a lot sooner.

"Hey…I know you…" She mutters, moving away from Shizune and standing on her own two feet. She slaps her hands on the table and glares at me, looking me in the eyes. "You're the daughter of that Hyuga bastard, what's his name, Hiiashi…"

This time, Jiraiya is prepared for Naruto's outburst. Naruto lunges at Tsunade again but is quickly caught by The Toad Sage and put into a full nelson before he can do anything more. Naruto growls in protest, his legs kicking helplessly in the air.

"Let me go ero-sennin, I'm not gonna let her talk about Hina like that." He pleads with Jiraiya, who keeps his face calm, his fingers interlaced in a hold that I imagine Naruto can't break.

I turn away from the blonde woman, looking at my teammate and the Toad Mountain Sage holding him up.

"This woman isn't worth what we're doing for her." I say simply, ignoring the glare from the blonde Sannin. "We can find a better healer to help the village."

Tsunade scoffs.

"Good luck with that; there isn't a better healer in the world other than me." She declares proudly, though still very intoxicated with a slight slur to her words.

I turn my head toward her, looking her up and down slowly, taking in what I'm looking at.

"All I see is a drunken fifty year old woman who's using a transformation ninjutsu to hide from debt collectors because she can't afford to pay back the loans on the money she borrowed. Hardly how someone related to the honorable First Hokage should act in public." I point out. "If you were in MY place, would you believe that you were looking at someone who's supposed to be a legendary shinobi or just a pitiful old drunk woman who gave up on living and her home a long time ago?"

I see surprise pass in Tsunade's eyes, but Jiraiya shakes his head, releasing a now calm Naruto before he begins to speak.

"It's useless Hinata-chan, I've already had THAT talk with Tsunade years ago, and it didn't do any good back then." He informs me, and then turns his attention to his former teammate. "The 4th Hokage has given me the authority to offer you a position on the village council Tsunade, you'll be answerable only to the Hokage, and all you need do is return to the village to help it in this dire time." Jiraiya explains to her.

Tsunade turns her head to her old teammate, a scowl setting back into her features.

"You can go blow it out your ass, Jiraiya." Tsunade tells him off, and Jiraiya nods.

"I won't be back to see you again, Tsunade." He says, motioning for Naruto and me to leave the booth, and the establishment.

Both Naruto and I leave the booth and start walking for the door. Jiraiya throws some Ryo on the counter, muttering something about he'll pay for the meal since she listened to his request, and then starts walking. The older man quickly catches up to both of us, and starts walking in front of us, heading back toward the hotel we're staying in.

"What the hell are you doing ero-sennin?" Naruto demands from Jiraiya while we walk.

"We're going to get a room in a hotel, and we AREN'T leaving without Tsunade." He says simply.

&

The next morning, I wake up a few hours or so after sunrise, the small two bed hotel room identical to the last hotel room I stayed the night in, even right down to the rollaway bed Naruto sleeps on at the foot of the two beds in the room. I let out a yawn when I turn to the second bed, seeing the blankets and sheets thrown haphazardly toward the foot of the bed, Jiraiya nowhere to be seen. I look toward the bathroom door, seeing the door just as dark as the room itself with the overhead light off, telling me that Jiraiya isn't in the bathroom.

_Where is he?_

I shudder when I remember the last time I was left alone, and I quickly activate my Byakugan, doing a scan of my immediate area. I don't see anything out of the ordinary, no Akatsuki members, no Jiraiya or Tsunade, though I don't extend my range to it's maximum, only covering my general area in case something is about to happen.

I sigh in relief, and I hear Naruto mumble something incoherent. The veins around my eyes recede before I look at him, seeing him almost lying on the rollaway bed diagonally, his head and right shoulder hanging off of the bed, his left foot in a similar situation.

He opens his eyes and then blinks once; managing to sit up in spite of the odd position he's in. Once he's sitting upright, he blinks several times and then rubs his eyes with his hands, his voice coming out in a mutter.

"What time is it…?" He asks, pulling his hands away from his eyes.

I glance to my watch sitting on the nightstand, and I see its 8:15 in the morning.

"It's 8:15 in the morning." I relay to him, managing a smile at seeing him so disheveled looking in the morning.

_He'd look cute even if he was covered in mud._

"Oh…" He mutters, and he says something else, but I can't make it out in his early morning, not yet woken up mumbling while he walks to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

With him in the bathroom, I look out the window, looking at the blue sky I'm reminded of Ino Yamanaka of all people, and what her and some of the other girls at the academy asked me to do for them one day. They said that they'd be my friend if I could tell them who was larger, Naruto or Sasuke. The thought of doing something perverted like that with my Byakugan is forbidden, and if a member of the main family were caught doing it, a severe punishment would be levied, so I fervently refused, nearly embarrassed myself at the thought of taking advantage of my kekkei genkai to peek at boys.

_After that, none of the girls at the academy really talked to me._

I shake my head to clear it, looking down at the soft light blue comforter on top of the bed before I roll my eyes up to the ceiling, leaning back and falling gently into the bed.

"Things are different now. I don't need shallow friendship like that." I affirm to myself, in spite of what I may've wanted back then.

_Back then, I was too scared of my grandmother finding out and whipping me that I wouldn't do it. If not for her, I probably would've done what they asked, and things would probably be very different for me now._

I shake my head again, dispelling the thoughts from my mind, mentally switching gears.

"Things are good now…" I mutter to myself. "I don't want them to be different."

A few moments later, Naruto emerges from the bathroom, his blonde hair once a tangled and unruly mess now combed and orderly, his face looks like he's actually alive instead of like he's half dead. He still wears his pajamas, but at he seems refreshed, as though whatever he did left him feeling better.

_My friendship with my friends now is anything but shallow._

"Bathroom's all yours Hina-hime." Naruto says, sitting down on the edge of the rollaway, the wheels fortunately locked in place.

I sit up and nod my understanding to him, but I don't move right away. Instead, I sit there and think about my grandmother for some reason, her graying hair, her proud smile, her watchful eye, having dinner with her Naruto and Shino, going to the Konoha hot springs after she paid for exclusive use of the entire spring for just the two of us, not a pervert in sight for miles on that day. I remember my grandmother's kind words, her words of wisdom and her guiding hand, all meant to forge me into the next Hyuga successor.

I feel a tear run down my cheek when I remember her smiling face, and I hear the bed shift from Naruto's weight when he sits down next to me.

"Hina-hime, you all right?" Naruto asks with his concern blatantly obvious.

I wipe my eyes on my pajama top; sniffling back more tears before I turn to look at him.

"I'm fine, nothing's wrong." I respond, giving him a heartfelt smile, and remembering what Jiraiya said about memories of the departed.

_He was at least right about that, I wouldn't trade my memories of my grandmother for anything, because I can never get any more of them…_

"So…" Naruto begins, looking toward the window, and then back to me. "Where do you think the old pervert went to?" He asks, changing the subject.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know, but I don't think he would've gone far." I comment.

Naruto looks down at the bed, and his cheeks flush, the boy scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment before he speaks.

"Um, do you remember the final round of the Chunin exams?" Naruto asks.

_That's an odd thing to ask about._

"What about them?" I ask, happy that conversation has turned to something somewhat cheerful, something that doesn't have to do with my dead grandmother.

"You know, when you kissed me…" He says, avoiding my eyes, and I nod, so he keeps talking. "Well, that was the first time anyone other then my mom has kissed me."

"Well…" I begin, and it's my turn to look down to avoid his gaze. "I don't really know what I was thinking, just that that Gaara person could've done something horrible to you, and I wanted to do something to show you I still cared about you."

"You mean, you thought Gaara might kill me." Naruto retorts and I shake my head no.

"I never for a moment thought you would die." I admit to him. "I would never lose faith in you like that."

Naruto grins; and he reaches up and pats me on the head gently, lovingly.

"Well, even if you did, it's okay because I didn't really know if I was going to be able to win or not, because no one really knew about Gaara's powers or the power of his Bijuu."

"I'm happy that you're alive." I tell him. "I'm also happy that other than grandmother Hibana, no one really important to me died in the attack." I say with a smile.

When I mention grandmother's name, Naruto's expression changes a solemn, apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry." He apologizes, for about the ninth time when it comes to my grandmother. "I wish I could've done something more, but…" He trails off when I shake my head.

"I knew my grandmother was going to die sooner or later, and she would've been happy to die protecting the place she loved so much."

For a moment there's silence, and then a gentle knock on the door comes from outside in the hall. Naruto quickly glances to me, and I activate my Byakugan, using it to see through the door and into the hall, seeing only Tsunade's handmaiden, a woman called Shizune if I remember correctly from Jiraiya's ramblings last night, standing outside the door in her dark kimono. The woman wears a sad expression on her face, and there's no genjutsu or other hold on her mind or body, and no one else around in the area that could be affecting her.

"It's Tsunade's attendant." I whisper to Naruto, and then I raise my voice. "Enter."

The handle rotates, the locks clicking, and Shizune opens the door, revealing her skill with a set of lock picks.

The woman walks in with a somber air about her, and even a little shame in her eyes,

_What does she have to be ashamed of? Is she ashamed of the way Tsunade acted last night, and she's come to apologize?_

"Um, may as I ask what it is you're doing here?" Naruto asks as nicely as he can.

The older woman looks to him, and then to me, and I can feel the desperation in her eyes.

"I'm here to ask you both to come back, to try again and convince Tsunade-sama to return to the village." Shizune explains herself.

Naruto and I look at each other curiously.

"Well, why don't you do it?" Naruto asks, and Shizune sighs.

"Tsunade-sama never listens to me when she doesn't want to, and she's more likely to hit Jiraiya-sama than listen to him. I think the only people that actually got through to her are you two." She explains. "Ever since the two of you came and left that bar, Tsunade-sama has been doing nothing but drink and gamble the whole time, I can see her wallowing in her own misery."

_I guess I shouldn't overestimate this woman._

"If Tsunade-dono is really in that mood then why doesn't she come here herself…?" I trail off, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Tsunade-sama is a proud woman, and all she really has now is her pride, she'd never throw that pride away by crawling back to shinobi of Konoha." Shizune explains.

"Well, what do you care about her for?" I ask.

"I'm a friend of Tsunade-sama as well as her attendant, and I don't want to see my friend and my teacher like she is."

"What will the two of us asking her again matter?" I ask the older woman. "She'll just turn as away again, if not try to hurt us for slighting her."

Shizune sighs lightly, her eyes drifting to the ground, and staying there.

"A long time ago, Tsunade-sama was nothing more than a child, not unlike the two of you." She begins. "However, when she was very young, her brother was caught up in the war that was going on, and he died. Then, later on in her life, she met my brother Dan, and she fell in love with him." Shizune pauses, looking up to both Naruto and me. "He wanted to be Hokage, just like her little brother wanted to be as well. Then, not long after Tsunade-sama gifted him with the First Hokage's necklace, my brother perished in battle, in spite of Tsunade-sama's best efforts to heal him. After that, she lost everything she cared for in Konoha, and she left the village, her mentality that she doesn't have anything left in the village."

I shake my head, looking to Naruto a moment; and the son of the Fourth Hokage remains silent, listening to Shizune talk but not speaking his own mind.

"That's sad." I begin. "But, it isn't Naruto's or my fault that Tsunade-dono ended up alone."

Shizune nods slowly.

"I understand that, but surely you know the pain of being alone." Shizune retorts.

"I had to find my own way to deal with the pain of being alone." I respond, and I feel a hand on my right shoulder.

"You weren't ever really alone, Hina-hime." Naruto gently disagrees. "You had your grandmother, and later you gained Shino-san and me and Kurenai-sensei because of dad, you never actively searched any of us out." He points out to me.

_He's right._

Both Naruto and I are silent after Naruto speaks, and Shizune glances back and forth between Naruto and me, distress still apparent on her features.

_Now that I think about it…_

"Has Jiraiya-dono been going to see Tsunade-dono?" I ask.

Shizune nods once.

"Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-dono have been drinking together, washing their troubles away in alcohol. It's the only thing Tsunade-sama seems to want to do besides gamble."

"What can Naruto and I do if Jiraiya-dono can't do anything to convince her to return?"

"Just speak to Tsunade-sama; just prove to her that you don't think she's worthless." Shizune pleads.

_Worthless, is that what she thinks we think of her?_

"Is that what Tsunade thinks we think of her after our last conversation?"

"Tsunade-sama took a twelve year old girl calling her worthless fairly hard, even more so since you knew who she was, and said it anyway." Shizune explains. "She's said that if even a child can't see her value, then she doesn't have any reason to go on living."

Hearing Shizune's words, I remember back to my days at the academy, when all the other children my age wouldn't talk to me, and looked at me like I shouldn't exist.

My decision is made after a moment's thought.

"Where's Tsunade?" I ask her attendant. "I'd like to see her immediately."

I see a smile spread on Shizune's lips, the woman nodding once with a happy air around her.

"Thank you both."

&

Nearly two hours later, I stand in front of a door, with Naruto standing behind me. Both of us are dressed in our normal clothes, both of us having dressed in the hotel room and then made our way here after Shizune told Naruto and me where Tsunade was staying.

_I just hope she's here, though she probably has a hangover._

I knock on the door gently at first, and I don't hear anything from inside. Applying more force, I knock louder, my knock echoing in the hotel hallway. I hear a muffled grumble from an old woman barely coming through the door.

_Don't let her be naked and have Jiraiya-dono in her bed…_

The thought makes me cringe while I listen to several loud trudging steps behind the door. The door opens, and Tsunade stands there in her normal clothes, her clothes showing the signs that she's slept in them, dark circles beneath her eyes indicating she hasn't slept in a while.

"You…" Tsunade mutters, having recognized Naruto and me immediately.

I smell the alcohol on her breath, and the look in her eyes tells me that the Sannin is hung over, probably immensely so.

Still standing in the doorway, the fifty year old woman towers over me, looking down at me with eyes filled with disgust.

"Go away…" She mutters, turning around. "I'm not in the mood to deal with a twelve year old brat…"

She tries to slam the door in my face, and I stick my right arm out, stopping the door from slamming into my face.

"I'm not here to insult the great Tsunade." I offer, and I see the surly old woman look at me with disbelief joining the disgust in her eyes.

"You're lying through your teeth." Tsunade mutters. "You don't care one bit about me."

I shake my head no.

"I realize now that you're alone, Tsunade-dono." I offer. "I know how much loneliness can hurt a person, but you aren't alone, Shizune-nee is with you, she always has been, and if you'll have me, I am as well."

It's then that Naruto speaks up.

"I'm here too." He offers. "I know we didn't get off to the greatest start, but I've seen what being alone can do, and I don't want you to end up like that Sasuke-teme…" Naruto mutters.

The legendary kunoichi looks at both of us, and I see disbelief flash before her eyes.

"Did Shizune put you up to this?"

I shake my head no, and Naruto does so as well.

"I'm only here because I feel for what you've gone through, and I don't want you to have to bear it alone anymore. You aren't alone anymore Tsunade-dono, you never were."

The woman sighs heavily, shaking her head slowly.

"Both of you; come on in." She mutters, looking up at the two of us. "We'll talk more once I get some medicinal tea in me to help with this damn headache."

Both Naruto and I nod to her, and Tsunade walks into the kitchen. Naruto walks into the room, and I follow, seeing Tsunade's hotel room for the first time while the fifty year old woman is in the kitchen. Her room is set up like a condominium, with a small living room and a kitchen, with a doorway leading to a two bed bedroom. I close the door behind me, the knob latching into the doorframe. Both Naruto and I stand in the living area, Naruto looking around and admiring the room, and obviously how much better appointed the room is over the hotel room Jiraiya got for us.

"Cheap ero-sennin…" Naruto mutters, kicking the rug.

There's a knock at the door, and I half turn, resisting the urge to activate my Byakugan. Naruto turns and looks at the door, facing it with his body while Tsunade emerges from the kitchenette, holding a ceramic tea cup.

"Just a second…!" Tsunade practically yells toward the door, her voice reverberating inside the room.

I feel a chill run down my spine, and I forget about keeping normal appearances. My hands interlace and I activate my Byakugan, the veins around my eyes bulging before the kekkei genkai's insight floods my mind. I peer through Tsunade and the doorway beyond her, seeing the two familiar figures beyond the door, but I can't open my mouth before she opens the door, revealing both the members of Akatsuki, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.

_Oh no…_

Tsunade recognizes Itachi standing there, both men standing with their arms at their sides. Itachi glares at Tsunade with his Sharingan, an even glare in his eyes.

"Stand aside Tsunade." Itachi commands the Sannin. "I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to."

The old woman looks surprised for a moment.

"What do you two…" She mutters.

"Move!" I command the blonde woman, seeing Kisame move his right arm, getting ready to swing the Samehada.

Kisame swings the sword, and Tsunade jumps back, his attack ripping through the doorway and slamming into the floor of the condo. The wooden floor splinters and breaks, the Samehada breaking three inches into the ground.

"You're annoying…" I hear Kisame mutter.

He pulls the sword from the floor, returning the weapon to his back. The old woman keeps her eyes on the two Akatsuki members, and Itachi sighs lightly.

"Kisame, you're too impatient." Itachi comments to his partner.

Tsunade glances to me, and then back to the two Akatsuki members.

"Hinata-chan, are they after you?" Tsunade asks, and I nod once.

"They want the Kyuubi, for what, I don't know." I respond, moving into a gentle fist stance.

Naruto has already assumed an Isshunken stance, his weights lying on the floor around him.

"I can easily kill this fifty year old hung over hag." Kisame mutters, glaring daggers toward Tsunade.

"Our goal isn't to murder Tsunade, you know that." Itachi reminds his partner, looking back toward Tsunade. "This is the last time I'll ask, will you stand aside?"

I see Tsunade smirk.

"If you two had been twenty minutes earlier, I would have given her to you without a fight, but not now."

"It's a foolish decision on your part; we'll simply kill you and the boy, take the girl, and go…" Itachi counters.

Tsunade puts her hands together, the 'crack' of her knuckles resonating in the small living area.

"You can try, right before I knock both of you into next year." Tsunade growls in confidence.

The tall Kisame ducks to step through the doorway, the blue skinned swordsman standing up straight inside the door, his long sword behind him, the man holding it in a reverse grip…

"I'm going to enjoy shaving your skin off, layer by layer…" Kisame savors.

Tsunade reels her arm back, chakra enveloping her fist before she throws it forward. Kisame quickly raises his blade, Tsunade's fist impacting the broad side of the seven foot long taped weapon. Her fist knocks the blade back, which in turn slams into Kisame's chest, the sheer force from Tsunade's blow enough to knock the shark man back out the way he came. Due to his sheer height, his head hits the top of the doorframe, knocking a large chunk of the cheap plaster wall and doorframe away. The Akatsuki member disappears from my normal vision. However, through the Byakugan I see Itachi doesn't flinch while his partner flies by him, slamming into door across the hall and going into the condominium across the hall. Tsunade is out the door in a flash, seeing Itachi and going after him. Tsunade throws hammer blows at him, each punch strong enough to knock a human head from it's shoulders, but the Uchiha evades her blows, making the woman look like a rank genin while her fists punch holes five feet across in the walls, and her kicks knock sections of the wall from the floor to the ceiling.

_She's really strong…_

"It's pointless for you to fight me." Itachi informs Tsunade during their melee. "You'll never be able to touch me."

"Both of you!" Tsunade yells at Naruto and I. "BRACE YOURSELVES!"

I have a moment see Tsunade channel a LARGE amount of chakra into her right shoulder, and I turn to Naruto, my gaze telling him to do as told. The Namikaze child doesn't argue, and he moves away from the door with me close behind. Tsunade slams her right fist into the floor, her hand going THROUGH the floor like its nothing more then cardboard, the floor itself falling through in a shockwave.

"Naruto, on the walls, NOW!" I order my teammate.

He doesn't argue, taking to the walls with me a heartbeat behind. Both Naruto and I chakra affix ourselves to the wall, and I watch the floor collapse down toward the bottom floor, wreckage and rubble coming down. Itachi manages to get to a wall, and Tsunade does so as well, chakra affixing her body to the wall, and I notice that Kisame falls through the collapsing floor, with Itachi apparently uncaring that his partner could very well be hurt, or crushed under rubble.

Tsunade now stands against the cement wall of the hallway, Itachi farther down the hall, 20 feet separating them. Through the Byakugan, I notice that Kisame is buried under wood and rubble, his sword still in his hands, and the man is relatively uninjured, though his face is contorted, a small bump on his head from where something struck him.

_Fish freak probably doesn't even have a concussion, lucky me…_

Itachi looks at Tsunade with his Sharingan, an eerie calm to his gaze.

"This is pointless." He says again. "Even if you weren't hung-over, you still wouldn't be able to touch me."

Tsunade smirks, a cocky grin spreading across her features.

"Last I checked you haven't landed a blow either."

_Oh no…_

I leap from the wall, across the open space, reaching out and grabbing onto the doorframe somehow still in tact. I swing around the doorframe, using my momentum to launch me toward Tsunade. I can FEEL Itachi's eyes on me when I fling myself toward the kunoichi Sannin, tackling her hard in the chest with enough force to knock her off of the wall, a shadow clone springing up from below, a kunai in hand, ready to slice Tsunade's stomach open, to disembowel her.

Both Tsunade and I fall into the wreckage, thankfully away from Kisame's location. I keep my attention on Itachi, barely feeling the boards and broken concrete slapping my skin. Kisame emerges from the wreckage, throwing off the rubble and standing up straight. He moves next to Itachi in a blur of motion, attaching himself to the wall next to his partner.

"They're down there, right?" Kisame asks Itachi.

The Uchiha nods. He hops off of the wall, and Kisame follows him, the two Akatsuki members standing next to each other. Itachi stares at the pile of rubble Tsunade and I are under, his Sharingan seemingly piercing through the rubble to see both of us.

"You both know it's pointless to hide." Itachi goads. "My Sharingan can see both of you, even now."

I hear Tsunade mutter a curse, and I feel her muscles tense. We lay on the ground beneath the rubble with Tsunade on her left side and me behind her. The woman pushes me away from her back, and then punches her way out of the rubble, leaping toward Itachi with a loud yell of anger. I see the chakra form around her hand, the woman ready to pound Itachi into hamburger when a kunai appears in his right hand.

_What's he going to do with that?_

The Uchiha raises his left hand, and then drives the kunai into his left hand between his thumb and pointer finger, the kunai spiking into his hand, and blood spurting from the wound. He flings his left hand in a backhand motion, slinging blood toward Tsunade like it will actually do anything.

_What?_

I see Tsunade's muscles convulse on the sight of blood, the liquid splattering against her bosom and face. Every muscle in her body tightens mid jump, and Itachi kicks her aside, sending the Sannin toward a pile of broken floor and ceiling. She slams into the pile, her back hitting first, but she doesn't yell out in pain. Instead she falls to the ground, her lips barely moving.

"Blood…" She mutters, her body shuddering in fear.

_Hemophobia, she's scared of blood?_

"Tsunade-dono, what's wrong?" I yell out, and I see Itachi smirk.

The Uchiha stares me down, his eyes seemingly unblinking.

"It's well known among the adult shinobi of Konoha that the Sannin Tsunade is hemophobic, and cannot stand the sight of blood, be it hers, or someone else's." He explains for me. "Tsunade cannot protect you from me young one, no one can."

As if to deny his statement, a yellow flash of movement flies in and impacts Itachi, the actual impact happening so quickly that not even Kisame follows it. One moment the Uchiha stands next to the other Akatsuki member, and in the blink of an eye the Uchiha is gone, Naruto's fist filling the air once occupied by Itachi's jaw.

"Son of a…" Kisame mutters.

He begins to swing his sword, but Naruto is too fast, back flipping three times away from Kisame and toward me, putting him well out of Kisame's striking distance.

"Like hell no one can protect her from you!" Naruto declares, standing next to me, his weights no longer on his body.

Itachi now occupies the next room, a hole in the wall where the rogue leaf shinobi went through the thin wall from the sheer speed of Naruto's fist. He lands on his back, the Uchiha getting to his feet slowly, standing up and wiping his now busted lip on his right arm. Without a word the Uchiha walks forward and steps through the hole in the wall, his calm somehow unbroken.

"You won't get another attack like that; you should've killed me, Naruto-kun." Itachi advises.

Kisame charges, the giant sword at the ready, and I see that he's targeting Naruto, the fish man swinging the giant sword as though it doesn't weigh anything. Naruto is forced to move, using his superior agility to get away, and Kisame chases him, effectively removing Naruto from the fight.

"Thank you, Kisame." Itachi speaks to his partner, and then starts toward me. "You will come with me Hinata-chan, or your friend will die, as will everyone else you care about."

I shake my head in denial, following Naruto's lead and shucking my weights, hitting the releases and letting the restraints fall to the ground.

_I can't rely on Naruto to protect me, I have to protect myself, and this man is one of the very people I have to protect myself from._

With my Byakugan already activated, I can see the chakra network inside Itachi's body, along with something else in his lungs, something that shouldn't be there…

I forget about the aberrant formation inside Itachi's lungs, and instead drop into a Gentle Fist stance.

_Who cares if he has cancer, it isn't like it's going to kill him before he gets me._

I recoil my arm, knowing there are very few moves in my arsenal that Itachi won't see coming a mile away. I thrust my palm forward with six feet between Itachi, and I unleash the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm, my chakra pushing like a hurricane wind, blasting the Uchiha's hair and clothes backward. Itachi raises his arms, shielding his face, and I see his feet skid against the floor while my Empty Palm pushes him backward. I use my speed, disappearing in a blur of motion, moving around and behind him, hoping to land an attack on his blind side. I attack with a Gentle Fist blow, my palm thrust hitting his left shoulder, the muscles in his shoulder practically dissolving, leaving the bone with no support, and neutralizing his ability to use ninjutsu.

"I won't let you hurt Naruto, Tsunade-dono or anyone else." I mutter into his ear in defiance.

Then the Itachi in front of me disappears in a puff of smoke, the perfectly formed shadow clone fooling my Byakugan. I go into a spin in mid air on reflex, releasing a sustained burst of blue-red chakra and forming it around my body in a giant dome. Through my Byakugan I see Itachi seemingly melt out of a nearby wall ten feet away in the trashed room. I stop spinning, coming to a stop facing him, landing my body in a Gentle Fist stance.

"Your fighting me is pointless…" Itachi comments sardonically. "Your tactics will never work."

"My last attack damaged that shadow clone of yours, all I have to do is manage to hit the real you, and you won't be kidnapping anyone."

For a split second, I see deep sorrow pass through the Uchiha's eyes, his expression revealing anguish unlike anything I've ever seen before, and then it's gone, replaced by the mask that I've seen him wear every time I've had the unfortunate circumstance to come across him.

"We'll just have to see, now won't we?" He asks.

I charge toward him, running at half my full speed, and with five feet between us, I kick on my full speed. I move in a blur of motion, moving around to his right and running toward him. He turns his head toward me, and I stop, using chakra to adhere my feet to the floor, and then I jump back, putting distance between the Uchiha and me, even though the Uchiha didn't do anything other then look at me.

_He saw everything. His eyes followed me somehow the whole time. He must've been able to track my chakra as it moved, and could see me coming for him the second I started toward him. I don't have any choice, I'll have to use THAT, but I've never done it before, and once I use it, I won't have long…_

I drop into the signature stance as though I'm preparing to use the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and I begin to focus my chakra, remembering how to perform the technique as my grandmother drilled it into my head.

"Gentle Fist…" I mutter, holding my stance.

I can feel my chakra begin to seep out of my skin, a red-blue aura visible to the naked eye forms around me, looking almost like a haze of mist across my skin.

_This is a Jounin level technique created to fight against the Uchiha, I don't have long._

His eyes go wide in recognition and I use my speed again, coming in from his opposite side. This time the Uchiha doesn't turn to look, to see my coming before my fist impacts his right cheek, enough force behind the attack to knock the Uchiha off his feet. Itachi spins in the air and lands on his feet, using his right arm to stabilize his landing and kill his momentum. His face contorts into a grimace, glaring at me with his Sharingan.

"So, a Gentle Fist technique created specifically to fight against the Uchiha and their Sharingan…" He mutters.

"It is." I answer him.

Before I can continue, the colossal blue skinned swordsman is four feet away from me, and he waves his sword toward me, and I feel the chakra around me disappear, most my of chakra going along with it.

_What the...?_

With my Byakugan I can see Naruto on the upper level lying on the floor, his coils almost empty of chakra, the boy looking as though he had the life drained out of him.

_That sword, it must drain chakra from whoever it hits._

I look up at Kisame, ready to move when Tsunade speaks up.

"Run..." Her voice manages to carry in the room.

Both Kisame and Itachi shift their gazes toward the blonde legend, and with my chakra so low, I'm in no condition to try and use the Gentle Fist, and if I try, I'm afraid the fish man might try and cleave my arm off for my trouble.

"You can't win." Tsunade manages, crawling to her hands and knees.

"Shut up you stupid bitch!" Kisame orders the legend.

I shake my head.

"I won't run!" I declare to her and the two Akatsuki members.

The fish man turns toward me, a sadistic grin spreading across his face.

"That's true, because I'm going to lop those skinny little legs of yours off."

I look to see him raise the sword, ready to cut my legs from my body when I see his cloak tug, and then I see Kisame lift off the ground, Tsunade behind him. The blonde woman hurls the blue skinned man like a bag of trash. He goes through the wall in front of me, and Tsunade turns toward Itachi, a look of bloodlust in her eyes.

"How are you able to move?" Itachi asks in disbelief. "You should be paralyzed by hemophobia."

"I'm a Sannin, and I'm a legend. If a little twelve year old girl can stand up to you two, then I can deal with a little hemophobia." Tsunade declares. "Watching the selfless acts of a twelve year old girl, I couldn't help but see how pathetic it was, and I'm not going to let fear run my life anymore!" She continues. "If you wanna fight, then you won't be able to gang up on a little girl, because you'll have to contend with me!"

Almost in response to her declaration, chakra shimmers over the walls, and I see them begin to change and distort. I watch the walls change into something wholly different, and Tsunade recognizes the technique. Naruto slides into the red wall, and both Itachi and Kisame look around in amazement.

"This is…" Tsunade mutters in recognition.

There's an explosion and a large cloud of smoke, and then the smoke clears quickly, revealing Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

"Jiraiya's here!" Jiraiya declares, standing in his trademarked pose.

He leaves his trademarked pose, standing up straight and looking at Itachi and then Kisame.

"If you two wanna continue this, then you'll have me to deal with me as well." Jiraiya chimes in.

Itachi glances toward his partner, and the blue skinned man locks eyes with his partner. The both nod once, and then both of them head for the roof. I watch when a black flame materializes out of thin air and burns the wall, burning a hole in the wall and creating a convenient escape route. Both Akatsuki members disappear out of the hole in the roof, and Jiraiya sighs.

"At least they're gone..." He mutters.

The floor next to Jiraiya opens like the stomach wall of a giant creature, and Naruto emerges from the floor. Tsunade sighs and I deactivate my Byakugan, ignoring Tsunade and moving to check on my teammate. I move around Jiraiya and kneel down next to him, looking him over with my eyes, and I don't see any wounds or damage.

_He's just exhausted._

The walls and floor return to normal, Jiraiya's technique either wearing off, or the Toad Sage undoes it, one or the other.

"I'd ask if you were all right Tsunade, but a paltry thing like a floor crashing through on you isn't enough to actually injure you." Jiraiya placates her.

"Why don't you go cram it where the sun doesn't shine?" Tsunade suggests to her former comrade.

Jiraiya smiles a sincere smile.

"I am glad that Itachi didn't get his claws on you." Jiraiya offers.

"Me too…" I offer, looking up from Naruto.

Shizune emerges from outside the building, her entrance only marked by the creaking hinges of the front doors of the building opening and closing.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune yells in surprise, seeing the blood on her master's chest.

Tsunade turns toward her attendant, and Shizune stops within arm's reach of her master.

"I'm fine Shizune." Tsunade informs her disciple. "Who you should be checking is that boy." Tsunade continues. "He's the one who fought against the shark freak."

Shizune nods and Jiraiya moves right to make room. Shizune moves toward Naruto, stopping next to Naruto she kneels down. Her eyes scan Naruto, and I watch the woman make hand signs, and then slowly move her glowing blue hands over Naruto's body.

"He's fine." She says aloud. "His chakra is just extremely low, though he's in no danger of dying."

Shizune's words are like a weight lifting off my shoulders, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I fall back onto my rear end, breathing another sigh.

"So…" Tsunade begins, her eyes shifting to me. "You know what it's like to be alone?" She asks, changing the subject.

I nod, standing up and brushing myself off.

"When I was younger, before I knew Naruto and everyone else, even my own grandmother didn't want me, and that went doubly so for the people of the village." I explain.

Tsunade glares at Jiraiya, a look of disdain forming in her eyes.

"How the hell could your precious student just let that happen?" Tsunade demands. "Doesn't he think of her as a hero or something?"

The old man shrugs his shoulders, and Shizune stands up, withdrawing a white handkerchief from somewhere, and uses it to wipe up Itachi's blood from Tsunade's face.

"I can get it myself Shizune!" The blonde woman protests and Shizune manages to clean the last of the crimson liquid from Tsunade's face before Jiraiya begins.

"Minato can only do so much." Jiraiya retorts. "After all, most of the adults in the village despise the Jinchuriki because of what the Kyuubi did, and the entire village council seems to have it out for Hinata-san as well."

Tsunade sighs, shaking her head from side to side and rubbing her forehead, her disgust blatantly apparent.

"Why would I want to be work with a bunch of morons like that?" Tsunade asks rhetorically.

Jiraiya shakes his head slowly.

"Minato just recent lost a trusted advisor in Sarutobi-sensei." He explains to his former teammate. "He wants you to fill that void, a trusted advisor to the Hokage, answerable to him only."

Tsunade's gaze shifts to me, and in her eyes I can see that she's still on the fence about returning, and I know that I need to say something…

_But what, what can I say that will convince her to return?_

"The village needs you Tsunade-dono." I begin slowly. "They need you in a way that they've never even wanted me, as a shinobi and protector."

My words seem to strike a chord with the older woman, and she turns toward Jiraiya, her face set in a grim expression.

"I'll return to the village Jiraiya." She finally acquiesces.

Jiraiya grins, striking his 'World Famous' pose and making a V for victory with his left hand. Almost immediately, Tsunade's right fist finds the back of Jiraiya's skull.

"Ow, that hurt." Jiraiya mockingly protests, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt at pity.

Tsunade grabs at her right shoulder with her left hand, flexing her right bicep.

"You want me to REALLY hit you?" Tsunade glares at her former teammate, and the old man shakes his head no, waving his hands left and right.

"No, no, no, no, no, that's okay." Jiraiya protests while holding his open hands toward Tsunade. "Really, I've had enough concussions for one lifetime."

Tsunade's fist finds the back of his head again, the contact like a frying pan hitting someone's head.

"For good measure…" Tsunade mutters, smacking her hands together as if to get dust off of them. "Well, just as soon as I get packed and the rest of you get ready, we can leave." Tsunade finishes and Jiraiya nods once, now totally serious.

"We'll be ready on our end in a half an hour." Jiraiya informs Tsunade, and she mutters an assent.

"See you then." Tsunade says with a grin.

&

Of all the preparations for returning to the village, the most difficult thing was waking Naruto. The blonde son of the 4th Hokage sleeps like a rock, and with his chakra so low he didn't really have the energy to wake up. Jiraiya had brought him back to our hotel room, and I carried his restraints along with putting my weights back on. Now, Jiraiya and I stand over a still snoozing Naruto, Jiraiya with his hands on his hips, and I stand with my arms at my sides.

"Damn this kid could sleep through the next great war…" Jiraiya mutters and I shake my head.

"His chakra was really low, and we shouldn't try and wake him up until it can recover." I point out.

Jiraiya grins, going for his pack; he withdraws a six inch high and four inch wide ceramic bottle with a cork in the top. The bottle appears to be an old container for alcohol, though I don't know what's in the old jug.

"This'll wake him up, chakra or no chakra." Jiraiya says with a grin.

I cock my head to the side, looking at the old bottle.

"What is it?" I ask curiously.

Jiraiya turns his grinning face toward me, holding the bottle with both hands, one hand on top and the other on the bottom.

"This is a special elixir designed to help soldiers in the field that have been affected by genjutsu." Jiraiya explains, standing up straight. "It is designed to be quickly absorbed by the body, spurring the cells of whatever it touches to create physical energy, which is used to create chakra. It also has the added side effect of waking up any sleeping person, even if they're under the influence of all but the most powerful sleeping drugs."

"How are you going to give it to him?"

"I'll make him drink it, though be a dear and hold him down will you, this stuff's kinda strong." He advises.

I move around to the head of the rollaway bed, reaching out I touch Naruto's shoulders, and then I apply pressure, pushing them down against the mattress.

"After I give this to him I'll get his feet, just hold him steady." Jiraiya repeats himself, and I nod.

I watch the older shinobi go to work, carefully pouring the clear liquid into Naruto's mouth, and then inducing swallowing. I watch the liquid go down his throat, and Jiraiya quickly corks the bottle and then moves down to the foot of the bed. He grasps Naruto's feet in a vise grip, and for a moment nothing happens.

_What is he so worried about, that stuff isn't gonna do any-_

Naruto's eyes pop open, his eyes wide and bright, and he moves to sit up, his mouth opening with a scream of pain leaving his mouth.

"Hold him!" Jiraiya roughly shouts, and Naruto begins to squirm.

He flails his unbound arms, and I manage to keep his shoulders down for a moment before he realizes he can use his abdominal muscles, and he sits up, literally throwing my hands back and causing me to stumble backward.

"Ah damn it all…" Jiraiya mutters.

Naruto flails his arms and looks around in a frenzied panic, his scream echoing through the room.

"Wa, WATER!" He finally manages to speak through the scream.

Before I can move to go get a glass, he grabs at his throat, and his eyes roll back into his head, and he falls back onto the bed. As quickly as his tantrum started, it stopped.

"What the…?" I mutter in disbelief.

Jiraiya releases Naruto's legs, the old man breathing a sigh of relief.

"Phew, that was close." He mutters.

I feel a vein bulge on my forehead, looking down at Naruto's unconscious body.

"I thought you said it'd wake him up!" I protest, pointing down at my still unconscious teammate.

Jiraiya turns to look at me, a grin spreading across his face.

"That was just a knee jerk reaction, in five minutes he'll be wide eyed and bushy tailed." Jiraiya says confidently.

&

Five long minutes later, Naruto's eyes pop open, and he sits up, looking around with bewilderment on his face.

"How'd I get back in the hotel room?" He asks, looking to both Jiraiya and me, and when he looks at me alive and well I see relief pass through his eyes, and then he looks down to his hands. "The last thing I remember before I passed out was fighting that freaky swordsman…"

"Tsunade overcame her fear, and the two of them chickened off when I showed up." Jiraiya explains to Naruto. "Tsunade is ready to return to the village and has agreed to our proposal, all we need to do now I get packed up and go meet her."

"Oh…" Naruto mutters in understanding.

_Just like that, he's okay with everything._

&

After that, finding Tsunade and subsequent trip out of the town and back to the village can only be described as nothing more than routine and uneventful. Most of the way back Jiraiya and Tsunade argued with each other, and Shizune seemed caught in the middle of most of the arguments. Naruto and I had some time to talk to each other during the trip, though we didn't discuss anything important.

Once we returned to the village, Minato accepted Tsunade with open arms, putting her onto the village council as the head of the 'Konoha Medical Academy' and an advisor to the Hokage. Those whose wounds were too great to heal by the medical corps, Tsunade recovered with ease, and while there were a few hard cases, the woman lives up to her reputation as a medical genius, and practically empties the hospital of the wounded still convalescing after the Sound and Sand village attack on the village.

Through Minato I hear that the Sand village publicly declared that it was Orochimaru's idea to strike Konoha, and they blamed him for everything, even going so far as to reveal the death of their Kazekage, killed by Orochimaru and then replaced by him, according to their statement.

It hasn't been two weeks since I returned to the village when a caller came to the Hokage manor, looking for me.

&

I lie on my bed in the Hokage manor, staring up at the ceiling, but not really looking up. For nearly a week I've been putting in long hours training, working to master the techniques taught to me by my grandmother before she died. Naruto has watched me most of the time, offering pointers on the techniques and a fresh perspective on how I could go about mastering them. While my grandmother would've probably screamed my ear off at my showing the techniques to someone outside the Hyuga clan, I realize that I'm the only one left in the village that knows these techniques, and without fine instruction Naruto knows only the motions, with no clue how to properly control your chakra to execute the techniques, which basically means his knowledge is useless to anyone other than me.

I hear a knock at the door, the gentle rap of an ANBU assigned to guard duty outside the manor.

"Hinata-dono, you have a visitor, a young man and a young girl, they're waiting at the front gate." The male voice carries through the door.

_Me? But who would come to see me?_

"I'll be there in a minute." I respond through the door, and I hear the male voice ascent, and then footsteps that quickly fade away.

_Who would come to see me?_

Since I'm already dressed, I just get out of bed and leave my bedroom. I move through the manor with ease, having memorized the floor plan shortly after I moved in. I walk to the front gate relatively happy, feeling secure and relaxed.

Once I'm outside the manor, I see the ANBU stationed around the traditional Japanese styled gate that serves as a boundary to the Hokage's home within the village. Two ANBU stand atop the gate, their faces concealed by their trademark masks, and I wonder again who could've come to visit me in the middle of the day.

The 'gate' itself is a giant white double door made of thick wood with a single giant handle on each door. I reach out and pull the door on my left toward me, opening the door, and it takes me a moment to actually open the door and then look around due to the sheer size of the door itself. By the time I manage to look, I don't believe what I'm seeing.

Both Neji Hyuga and a young girl that I can only assume is Natsume stands next to each other outside the front gate. Neji has the young girl's left hand in his right hand, and the girl can't be more then eight or nine, with dark hair tied into two braids that hang down to her shoulders, with pink bands on the ends of her hair. Like Neji, she too has the infamous Hyuga eyes, and looking at her I can tell she is Neji's beloved sister, their noses almost identical.

The girl wears a curious expression on her face, while Neji wears an almost deathly serious one, a stark contrast to say the least.

"Neji-nii-san, Natsume-chan…" I mutter.

Next Time: A promise fulfilled and a dark encounter…


	20. Chapter 20: End of Part 1

Chapter 20: Confession of a Madman

(Well, this is 20 and the end of Part 1. First and Foremost, I guess I should put this here so no one can say I didn't say it. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ ALLUSIONS TO SEXUAL ACTS (WITH NOTHING EXPLICT SAID, ONLY IMPLIED) THEN DO _**NOT**_ READ THE EPILOGUE TO THIS CHAPTER. That said; if you can handle such things, as I believe 99 of my readers can, then feel free, though I should warn that this IS NOT a lemon chapter and I don't believe it would be rated Mature. I don't know though, I don't name any parts or say anything 'dirty' so it would still technically be a Teen rating. On other news, I'll be taking at LEAST a week long break from writing these chapters (I'll continue the outline, I just won't be typing.) This chap came quickly because I struck with the sudden motivation to finish out Part 1, that's why it's come so quickly. DO NOT expect update speeds like this in the future save for rare instances, and the next chapter will not be one of those instances. Once again, a MAJOR thank you goes out to Blinkin, he betaed this even though he was going through some troubled times, and still did it quickly. Also, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comes out next week, and that will be taking up a lot of my free time (I was a SW nut before I became a Narutotard.) Finally, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who's read this incoherent collection of words I call the Demon in the Hyuga Clan. It started out as a tiny idea in the back of my head, and I never thought it would take off like it did. Anyway, thank you to everyone who spends 10-15 minutes reading the chapters as I post them and leaving your thoughts in the form of reviews. I appreciate them, and without you this wouldn't be where it is, THANK YOU ALL.)

End of Idiotic Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 20: The Irresistible Force and the Immoveable Object

"Come, Natsume!" I order the nine year old.

The young Hyuga standing across from me nods once, the veins around her eyes bulging with her Byakugan, her stance set in a Gentle Fist stance. She charges me, her palms ready to strike, the chakra in her attacks meant to kill. She thrusts her left palm forward, feinting and pulling it back and raising her right foot into the air, aiming for my chin. I lean back, avoiding the blow and allowing her foot to pass harmlessly in front of me. My hands reach out and grasp her shin, taking hold; I turn and throw the girl over my shoulder in textbook fashion.

The young Hyuga flips in the air and lands on her feet, her feet glowing with chakra that helps to kill her momentum, and she's already back into the Gentle Fist stance, ready and eager to continue.

Natsume, Neji and I are all in the courtyard of the Hokage's home, under the watchful eye of the ANBU. No one other than residents of the manor can get close to the courtyard to see the three Hyuga together. Neji stands aside, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes normal as he watches the scene before him. Natsume charges again, and this time she flips forward, bringing her heel to bear on my skull. I sidestep to my left, avoiding her descending heel, and seeing her right palm coming toward my head. I deflect her strike using my left palm, waiting until her hand is well within arms reach and using my arm to strike her wrist and knock the attack to the side. Her palm passes by my left ear, and I drop down, extending my leg and sweeping her legs out from beneath her. Natsume falls, but her left hand quickly comes down, planting her hand flat on the ground. She shifts her weight, moving her feet away from me, going into a one handed back flip.

I watch her land outside of my reach, and she fluidly returns to a Gentle Fist stance, ready to continue the match when I raise my right hand, putting my palm out to her and standing up straight, the signal that I'm stopping the match.

"That's enough." I tell her, feeling a little winded.

Sweat lines Natsume's unmarked forehead, a testament to her position within the Hyuga hierarchy. Were things different, she'd already have the curse seal on her forehead, the same as her older brother.

The veins around my eyes recede, and I glance toward Neji, seeing him push himself off of the wall and walk toward us slowly, his stride showing that he too is worn out.

_It's been two weeks since the two of them came here looking for me. Neji had come with his sister to make due on the promise I gave him, that I would do whatever I can to protect her, and he asked me to help her with additional training. Apparently, after he lost his match to me, Hizashi began to indulge in hitting him for his 'disappointing performance' and has since been training Natsume to 'not fail the new main family.' Apparently, Neji is worried that if Natsume doesn't live up to Hizashi's expectations of her, then she'll be marked with the same curse mark Neji has, and he'd sooner die than allow that to happen._

_Thus began our secret training together. Both of them are apt pupils, and have sworn to me that they'll never allow their father to learn of these sessions. They listen to everything I say as though it was law, and everything I teach them they seem to pick up almost instantly. Plus, since Neji is much larger than Natsume, he's a bad sparring partner, and since I'm smaller than he is, though not by much, it's better for me to work with her than him. Although, I can't say for certain what will come of all this, and I can't say for certain whether or not they're lying to me to try and pry the secrets of the family from me, I do know that Neji cares deeply for his sister, more than he cares for the clan, the village, or his own damnable father._

_It's really no wonder he was ready to kill me during the Chunin exams, I think to protect her he'd walk on lit coals and never once bat an eye in pain._

_Although, these last few weeks have been helpful for me as well. They've given me a chance to work on my hand to hand combat with another Hyuga, and while Natsume isn't an ideal sparring partner, Neji is and he didn't earn the title of a genius for nothing. _

"That was a good workout." I say to both of my 'students.'

Natsume nods, wiping her forehead with her arm, and Neji smiles at her before he turns to me.

"You don't seem very tired Hinata-dono." Neji points out. "Have we not been pushing you?"

I shake my head no.

"I don't get tired easily." I evade his question, not telling him the real reason I don't tire easily. "Both of you have been great students and sparring partners."

"Thank you." Natsume says with a smile, a sweet innocent smile that belongs on the face of a nine year old.

I shake my head no, reaching out I touch the top of Natsume's head and gently ruffle her hair, the majority of it still tied into two braids near the nape of her neck.

"It's a pleasure to teach both of you." I respond to her while she struggles to pull away from my hand.

Neji turns toward his sister while Natsume smoothes out her ruffled hair.

"Natsume, I need to talk to Hinata-dono alone for a minute, can you walk to the gate and wait there?" Neji asks with a happy and cheerful voice.

She nods, smiling at her older brother.

"All right onii-chan." Natsume says with that innocent smile. "Just don't make me wait too long, 'kay?" She asks, and Neji smiles at his younger sister again.

"I won't." Neji responds, and Natsume walks toward the courtyard door that leads back into the Hokage manor.

The girl pulls the bands out of her hair, going to the trouble of re-braiding her hair while she walks. Neji watches her walk, and waits to speak until she's nearly at the house before he turns to me. When I see his eyes, I see a mix of love and fear in them, a deep love for his sister, and a fear that she'll end up like him.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" I casually ask the older boy, though I know it has to have something to do with their father or the training.

"You haven't taught neither Natsume nor I that many techniques." Neji cuts to the chase. "Is there a reason that you've been holding back?"

I let out a breath.

"Even though I know the techniques, I haven't yet been able to master them, and I don't want to teach something and not be able to help my student master it, or not know the full dangers of using it in a life or death situation." I explain to him. "Both you and Natsume are quick learners, and I don't want one of you learning a technique and not fully understanding it."

The boy nods slowly, a sense of scrutiny in his eyes.

"Do you want to stop these training sessions for a while?" Neji offers. "That way you'll have more time to practice on your own, and we can pick this up in a month or two."

"It's a kind offer…" I begin. "But, it will take me some time to master the secrets, and I'm afraid that if we stop, I wouldn't be able to start teaching you again for several months, and Natsume has been improving steadily, I don't want to see her progress stop and your father think that she's slacking off."

"Father has been working Natsume, teaching her everything he knows about our arts, and he's pushing her to learn as much as she can as quickly as she can."

"And he's ignoring you because I defeated you during the Chunin exams?" I ask, and he nods.

"Father thinks of me as a failure, that I'm not the genius others made me out to be, and Natsume is the only hope for our family's future as head of the clan."

I shake my head slowly in disgust, meeting Neji in the eyes afterward.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you, I swear it."

"Thank you, Hinata-dono." He says, bowing to me in respect. "I need to catch up with Natsume, and we need to get back to the manor before father becomes suspicious."

I nod, motioning for him to leave, and he starts off at a brisk walk toward his sister. When he gets near her, she smiles at him and takes his hand, and the two of them walk into the Hokage manor, heading for the door. I stand in the courtyard for a while, looking up at the setting sun in the sky, breathing deeply and trying to let my worries and troubles leave my body.

Then, an ANBU member emerges from the door that leads into the manor, the man's face hidden behind a wolf mask.

"Hinata-dono, you have a visitor." He says simply, and I nod my understanding before the ANBU turns and walks down the hall and out of the doorframe.

_I wonder who it could be this time._

I shrug my shoulders, shutting off the train of thought and starting into the manor. In a few minutes I'm through the house and heading toward the front gate, my sandals quietly clomping against the stone path. I open the door to the street, and I see a surprise waiting for me on the other side of the gate.

Sasuke Uchiha, member of Squad 7 and dressed in his normal blue shirt and white shorts stands waiting outside the gate. He stands with his hands in his pockets though once he sees me his hands leave his pockets and fall to his sides. The boy wears his normal annoyed angry expression, his eyes focusing on me after I open the gate.

"Sasuke-kun, what're you doing here?" I ask. "Naruto isn't here; he's off with his mother." I offer the boy, thinking that maybe he's here to see his old academy rival.

The dark haired boy glares daggers at me.

"I'm not looking for Naruto." He says simply. "I'm looking for you."

I raise my eyebrows in questioning.

"What could you want with me?" I ask innocently.

He hands ball into fists at his sides.

"I want to fight you, to prove I'm stronger than the shinobi that defeated the demon Shukaku." He says matter of factly.

I look him over, and I stop for a moment on his eyes, seeing that he doesn't have his Sharingan activated.

"I won't fight you." I tell him simply. "We're both shinobi of the leaf village, and this isn't a match or an examination."

A cocky smirk stretches onto his features.

"So, you fear the power of my Sharingan, knowing that your tricks will be all but useless when you're faced with it?" He tries to goad me.

I narrow my eyes on him, remembering the way the boy acted in the academy, as though he were better than everyone else, like no one deserved to be around him.

_I saved his life, and this is how he shows his gratitude, he comes to my home and asks to fight me for a ridiculous reason like to prove his strength and then when I've been the better person by refusing to fight him, he acts like I'm afraid of him and he's better than me. I know that it's nothing but an attempt to get what he wants, but I'm sick of him and his arrogance like he's too good for everyone._

My hands ball into fists, and I glare daggers back at the Uchiha.

"Fine, let's settle this at a training ground." I tell him, and I see him smile.

"Music to my ears…" He says with a grin.

&

The Uchiha leads me to a relatively open training ground in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees on all sides, seemingly hidden away from the village. He stands six feet apart from me, his arms at his sides and a smile on his face.

"Kakashi has been pushing me since the Chunin exams; I've made more progress in the last month than you have your whole life." He says matter of factly.

I can feel my anger toward the boy boiling, at his outright arrogance and superiority complex, and I can feel the tendrils of the Kyuubi's chakra responding to my anger, amplifying the emotion and making me feel like an inferno rages inside of me, begging to get out.

Because I've worn the restraining weights for so long, and done so much with them, I've learned to manipulate the chakra in the weights, and how to use that chakra to release the weights from my arms and legs without actually hitting the release switches, useful in combat when I can't pull my pants up and remove the weights one at a time, but it requires concentration, something I can barely attain at the moment.

_I'm going to beat that smug, arrogant attitude so far down your throat your crap will think it's better than you._

The weights fall from my arms and legs, and I waste no time, the Uchiha looking surprised when I disappear in a blur of motion. I don't bother with the Gentle Fist, the desire to inflict as much pain as humanly possible flooding my veins and making me forget about the family fighting style. Instead my fist hits the Uchiha square in the jaw, my strength enough to knock the boy off his feet and to the ground. Sasuke skids loudly against the ground and after eight feet does a double handstand and then drops backward to his feet.

His lower lip bleeds crimson, the liquid dribbling down his chin and to the ground with a barely audible plop.

He wipes his chin with his forearm cover, the cover coming away stained with blood, and he glares at me, seeing my fist still extended in front of me.

"That was a cheap shot." He says matter of factly.

I lower my arm and stand up straight.

"Were you a real Uchiha, I wouldn't have hit you."

Anger flashes in his eyes, but still no Sharingan.

"What do YOU know of the Uchiha?" He asks.

"I've fought against Itachi Uchiha, and I would never have been able to hit him like that." I goad him, and I see the flame of anger roar to life in him at the mention of his older brother. "Itachi would've evaded that punch, and at least taken my arm off for the trouble."

Then, his eyes change, the darkness turning red and revealing a Sharingan with two tomoe in each eye. I activate my Byakugan without hand signs while Sasuke drops into a taijutsu stance, making a 'come on' gesture with his left hand. I drop into a taijutsu stance and charge using my unrestrained full speed, and I see his eyes try and track me while I move around him in a circle. While I run, I move in with lightning fast kicks and punches, hitting the Uchiha in his openings, striking him with normal blows, wanting him to feel as much pain as possible before I start making him go numb with Gentle Fist strikes. He tries to block, raising his arms and one of his knees, trying to shield his chest and ribs from my assault, but it does him little good when I drop in front of his exposed side, my right foot slamming against his hip in a straight kick that knocks him off his feet and ends my circular assault. I see his pelvis crack under my blow, though his leg stays in socket. He rights himself using another handstand, and manages to land on his feet some distance away. His hands come together, and I recognize the sequence of fire element signs. I charge in a blur of motion, my fist finding his chest when he inhales, preparing to release a burst of flame meant to kill me.

Fire spews from his mouth over our heads while two of his ribs give from my punch, the force knocking him off of his feet and onto his back. He manages to stay down this time, and I watch as he gets to his feet, wincing from the pain of two broken ribs.

"You've improved." He mutters, wiping his lip which has just now stopped bleeding.

"I'm going to beat some humility into you." I respond, and he assumes a taijutsu stance nearly identical to Rock Lee's.

"I'm going to end this." He mutters.

He disappears in a blur of motion, and I track his chakra with my Byakugan, and I intercept his fist as he attacks me from behind, his left fist hitting my left palm, and I wrap my fingers around his closed hand. I spin around, bringing my right palm to bear against his exposed left side, and I use the Gentle Fist to send my chakra into his coils, striking an open tenketsu with enough force to close it. Sasuke winces as the feeling in his ribs fades as chakra is cut off from the tenketsu. He yanks his fist free and drops and spins, aiming to sweep my legs out from under me. I jump up, curling into a ball I roll backward and land lithely ten feet away from the Uchiha, making the vaulted Uchiha look like a rank amateur.

He stands there, breathing heavily, clutching at his chest as my attack did minor damage to his lungs on his left side. His Sharingan is still in his eyes, and he looks at me with pure unadulterated hatred in his eyes, the exact opposite of his older brother.

"I underestimated you…" He mutters. "Close range combat was a mistake."

I look at him as seriously as I can, and I force myself to calm down.

"You can't continue, your lung is damaged, if you continue fighting me I could forever damage your ability to breathe."

Sasuke shakes his head, and he even smiles while the mark on his neck glows, now encased in a red circle. The mark breaks the circle and begins to spread across his body, glowing like a fire against his skin.

_That's…_

The tomoe like dots spread across his skin like a pack of rats scurrying for their next meal. While the mark spreads across his skin, Sasuke's attitude changes drastically. Before he was smug, arrogant, but he hardly had a hint of bloodlust in him. Once the mark spreads across his body however, bloodlust seeps from him in waves, and his chakra becomes much darker, filled with a violent intent unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Through the Byakugan, I see his chakra coils fill with a black chakra from seemingly out of nowhere. The mark apparently extracting the energy unnaturally from his body, giving him a boost in strength and more chakra to power his ninjutsu.

His hands come together, and this time he is much faster than before, his hands moving in a blur of motion nearly three times as fast as before. A large amount of chakra concentrates in his stomach seconds before he inhales, and I begin to move before the Uchiha exhales, blowing flame from his mouth like a demon from the underworld. Even moving, his flame still singes the tips of my hair. After the boy releases a seemingly endless stream of fire that he uses to chase me around the training ground, he stops using the technique, and I stop moving, feeling the heat of the fire beginning to catch and burn the surrounding trees. For that moment I take a breath; and then Sasuke inhales again, a split second's warning before MORE flame erupts from his mouth, the deadly stream meant to burn me alive.

_Oh crap._

It takes all my speed to move backward, away from Sasuke and avoid his flame attack, and after nearly twenty feet his flame attack reaches its limit. The forest in front of me and around his area of attack begins to burn, the wood catching fire and beginning to spread.

_If he keeps this up, he'll burn the whole village to the ground if someone doesn't stop him._

"You have to stop!" I yell out above the crackling flames.

If Sasuke listens to my plea, I cannot tell.

_Normally I'd throw some kunai at him, try to fight him at range, but since I wasn't going out on a mission today, I'm not carrying any shinobi weapons. I've got my bare hands and my ninjutsu and genjutsu, nothing else._

Sasuke's hands begin to interlace, preparing for yet another attack, and even though fire based techniques require a lot of chakra, the Uchiha boy's coils still have plenty of the black chakra surging through them. He stops when his right pointer and thump form a circle, and he blows through them. Flame erupts from in front of his hand, and instead of a giant burst of flame, several smaller balls of fire leap from his mouth. Inside the balls of flame I see tagged kunai inside the balls of fire, the exploding tags already lit. I curse to myself, seeing the knives coming and knowing full well that Sasuke doesn't care what he destroys, as long as he kills me in the process.

I move, bending my body and allowing the knives to fly past. I see the knives stick into trees behind me, and I begin to spin, releasing chakra from my body, executing a rotation to protect myself from the coming explosion. I maintain the spin, releasing more and more chakra while I spin around, hoping that the technique will protect me from the explosion I know is coming. Seconds later, the tags ignite, and the air around my eight foot wide dome is filled with flame and a roaring sound. While the dome protects me, the trees that surround the training ground are consumed in flame. Acrid smoke begins to fill the air and the smell of burning wood fills my nostrils.

I stop the rotation and I look around. My attention was momentarily focused on maintaining the rotation that I lost track of the Uchiha. Now flames fills the area, the air hot, the sweat that once covered my body now joined with more, and some even burns off from the heat.

A flash of black appears in my visual range, and I turn, firing an Empty Palm on reflex, not hearing the chirping sound of Sasuke's Chidori before it's too late. My Empty Palm and his Chidori connect. A bright flash of lightning precedes a wave of concussive force that knocks me back. I barely have time to right myself in the air and spin, releasing a rotation from my body that levels a five foot circle, clearing it of flame and allowing me to land safely. Once I'm on the ground, I can feel the heat of the flames licking at the edge of my cleared area. Sweat runs down my body, and each breath is strained to breathe the smoke filled air.

"He, he, he…" Sasuke begins to giggle.

_He's giggling?_

Soon that giggle turns to a full on psychotic laugh, the laughter of a mad man joining the cracking and burning of the fire surrounding us. I can feel the demon inside me beginning to stir, the Kyuubi's chakra trying to find its way into my coils. Standing there, I realize that my options are becoming more and more limited with each passing second.

_I have to do something, or he'll burn the entire village to the ground._

I use the momentary respite to look through my Byakugan toward Sasuke, and I see his chakra network is still nearly brimming with the black chakra from the mark, in spite of all the techniques he's used.

_The mark has to be feeding him chakra, though I can't imagine there isn't some negative downside to using a power like that._

Breathing the smoke filled air, I cough loudly, covering my mouth with my hand. It's after my coughing fit that I hear Sasuke speak over the burning flames.

"Is this the limit to your strength?" He goads me through the fire, seemingly unfazed by the fire he himself started. "Is what you've shown me the limit to your ability? You couldn't have defeated the sand monster with only this power. Show me your true strength, the strength you used to pound that demon into the dirt." He demands of me, smiling through the flames.

I shake my head no.

"I can't fight you with that power!" I retort, and he laughs in contempt.

"What kind of ridiculous notion is that?" He asks. "If the power is yours, USE it, show it to me." He practically begs me.

Then, something wholly unexpected happens…

"Water Release: Raging Spring Jutsu!" Kakashi Hatake's voice enters my ears.

I look toward the source of the noise, and I see Kakashi standing on a nearby undamaged tree, his hands together and his normally concealed left eye visible. In his left eye I notice a Sharingan, exactly like the one in both of Itachi's eyes, though I cannot fathom how the Hatake man got the kekkei genkai.

Then, a nearby lake three hundred meters away bursts into a giant water spout that arcs thirty meters into the air and comes crashing down on top of me, Sasuke, and the training ground we were fighting in. I feel the water rush down on me, the water pushing me toward the ground with unrelenting force. In seconds the fire is out, and the deluge of water stops raining down. Then, two ANBU appear next to the Uchiha, their hands moving in perfect synchronization, both of them holding the last sign in the sequence. Suddenly Sasuke's chakra flow is disrupted, and I watch the two ANBU use a paralysis technique to knock the Uchiha unconscious. Sasuke tries to fight, to throw a punch at one of the ANBU, but the technique takes hold and his fist falls mid punch. The boy falls to the ground with a thud. A moment later Kakashi appears next to Sasuke's head. Kakashi's left eye is now covered with his headband, looking down at Sasuke with regret in his one visible eye.

"I was foolish…" Kakashi mutters and it's only because of the Byakugan that I know what he said anything.

One of the ANBU turns toward Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sempai, what should we do with him?" The deep voiced male ANBU asks. "He's unconscious, and shouldn't be a problem anymore."

As if to prove the ANBU's words, the mark on Sasuke's body recedes back into the circle on his back, Sasuke's skin returning to normal without the mark. The silver haired man turns toward me, and he walks toward me slowly, stopping with more than an arm's reach between us.

"I'm sorry about all this." Kakashi apologizes to me. "I didn't think Sasuke was pigheaded enough to try anything like this, but I was wrong. I thought that maybe my training was tiring him out, but I'll have to work him three times as hard now."

I just nod, and Kakashi turns around, walking back to where his student lies on the ground. The two ANBU haven't moved, and Kakashi scoops the unconscious Uchiha up and carries him over his left shoulder.

"Time to go now…" Kakashi says, and then disappears in a blur of motion.

The ANBU that called Kakashi 'sempai' turns toward me and approaches me.

"You should go get checked out at the hospital." The ANBU warns. "Smoke inhalation can cause serious pulmonary problems."

I nod, thanking the ANBU before I leave the now ruined training ground, heading for the hospital.

&

Almost an hour later, I sit on a hospital bed in my normal clothes with light spewing into the room from the open windows. The smells of outside do a lot to help relax me, though I can still smell the stench of burning wood, and though I'm nowhere near it, the heat of the flames that licked at the trees around me.

I shake my head to clear it, not wanting to remember my recent encounter with the apparently insane Uchiha.

_Well, at least the doctors say I'm not really hurt. They want me to stay overnight for observation, and I can go home tomorrow. I don't know what happened to Sasuke, and I can only hope that he gets some serious psychiatric help._

The door to my room opens, and I turn to see Jiraiya the Toad Mountain Sage walk into the room without any greeting. He closes the door behind him before his eyes lock onto me, an uncharacteristic seriousness in them.

"Jiraiya-dono." I mutter in greeting, but the older shinobi doesn't seem to care about the pleasantry.

"I need to talk to you." He says simply.

"Talk to me about what?" I ask, my voice showing my confusion.

"It's time you began your training, REAL training that you can't do in the village." He informs me.

"What're you talking about?" I ask, still confused.

"As you are now, you're only a burden to Konoha." He tells me flat out. "While it may be hard for you to hear, right now you're nothing more than a magnet for Akatsuki to come to this village, and as long as you can't protect yourself from them, you'll only endanger other people by remaining here."

"Why now?"

"I've received information that Akatsuki will be focusing on other things other than the Jinchuriki for the next three years, and the remnants of Orochimaru's forces will take at least that long to squabble amongst themselves and fight for control of everything Orochimaru created." He pauses. "The fastest way for you to get stronger will be to leave the village and all of it's distractions for a while and come with me. I can teach you the secrets to my Toad Style of combat, and make you much stronger then you are now."

_His style of combat, but is that even possible?_

"Is that really possible?" I ask, and he nods once.

"It won't be easy, but I can impart my most powerful techniques onto you, that combined with what you can already do will make you a shinobi to be reckoned with, and a worthy candidate for the name Sannin."

_If I leave the village, and return a Jounin or even a Kage level ninja like one of the Sannin, wouldn't I be able to assume control of the clan and be able to protect myself, solving all my problems?_

"I'll do it." I agree without second thought.

Jiraiya opens his mouth to say something, but then the door flies in and off its hinges with a loud BOOM, and a familiar high heeled wearing foot extends though the door, dark blue pants resting on the fifty year old woman's legs from the ankle up. The door slams against the wall on my left, and for a moment everything is silent after the door falls to the floor with a WHUMP.

_Tsunade…?_

"Tsunade…?" Jiraiya mutters.

"I'm not going to allow this travesty to happen." Tsunade says with barely contained anger while she walks through the now open doorway.

For once, the old man looks surprised.

"What're YOU doing here?" Jiraiya asks, and the kunoichi smiles a mischievous smile.

"I was coming to check on Hinata-chan when I heard you talking to her, and I listened in on the conversation. I won't allow a twelve year old girl to spend three years alone with a pervert like you Jiraiya." Tsunade proclaims.

"I'm not going to do anything with a kid!" Jiraiya exclaims, but his former teammate nods once.

"Yes, you aren't going to do anything with her, because I'm going with you." She says with a no nonsense tone, as though it isn't open to argument.

"But, what about the village, aren't you needed to start that Medical Academy or whatever?" Jiraiya asks, and Tsunade shakes her head no.

"I've spent the last three weeks working on a curriculum, and I've finished working on everything that requires my attention. Shizune will remain in the village to over see construction and the first few classes to graduate from the academy. Once we're done with Hinata-chan, then I'll take over Shizune's place, and she'll become a teacher there as well." Tsunade explains. "I've already left explicit instruction for Shizune to begin to teaching the Aburame boy and the Hokage's child about medical techniques, and I'm going to teach Hinata as well, so all three of them will have some competence in the healing arts."

"Is Minato aware of this?" Jiraiya asks, his last line of defense being the Hokage, and Tsunade nods once.

"Yes, I've run all of this by him, I figured you'd want to take Hinata-chan from the village soon to train her, and I was right."

The old man sighs in frustration.

"We aren't going to have time for my student to learn medical ninjutsu along with what I have to teach her." Jiraiya retorts.

Tsunade rolls up the sleeve of her jacket, gripping her left bicep, glaring daggers at Jiraiya. The old man can sense the obvious animosity in his former teammate, and quickly nods, raising his hands with his palms out, as though to ward off a blow.

"All right, all right, we'll make time!" Jiraiya quickly agrees with fear in his voice. "As long as we can keep on the move, Akatsuki won't make a move on Konoha without Hinata present, so everything will be all right, even if we're gone another year or two."

"Um…" I interrupt, and both of them turn their heads toward me. "Can I at least say good bye to my friends and everyone?" I ask politely.

They both look at each other, nodding to each other, they both turn their heads to look at me and Tsunade is the one to speak.

"That's fine." She informs me. "You should head home and pack though; we'll be leaving as soon as possible. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return."

I nod my understanding, standing up off the bed.

"I understand." I affirm for them, and Jiraiya speaks up.

"We're likely to be gone for at least three full years, if not four, and you'll be working the entire time, either with me learning techniques or with Tsunade learning how to heal, it won't be easy." He warns me, and I nod.

"I understand." I say again, walking past the two of them and heading for the door.

_I'm going to miss everyone, especially Naruto. I hope he won't forget about me, and will wait for me until I return._

&

With the medical genius Tsunade vowing for my condition, getting past the hospital doctors is no problem, and nearly two hours later I'm standing at the village gate along with Jiraiya, Tsunade, Minato, Kushina, Naruto, Shino, Shibi and Shizune.

Looking at all of them, I feel tears in my eyes when I speak.

"Good bye, I'll miss you all, and I promise to return as soon as I'm able."

I look to each of them, seeing Minato and Kushina smiling, Shino and Shibi wear the Aburame trademarked neutral expression, and Shizune stands near Tsunade, the two of them talking to each other, a last minute question session from student to master. Naruto wears a somber expression while he stares down at the ground, and it's on his face that my eyes rest the longest.

_I want to say so much, but there isn't time for it._

"Mini-kun and I will be waiting when you get back, Hina-chan." Kushina says, leaning on her husband, who nods approvingly.

"The Aburame will await your return with patience." Shino informs me, and his father gives a nod as well.

My eyes shift to Naruto, and there's a moment of silence before he looks up, his eyes meeting mine, resolution filling his pretty blue orbs.

"I'll get stronger Hinata." He says simply. "When you do come back, you won't have to carry the burden of all of this alone, I swear that I'll do everything I can to help you." He says, reaching out and putting a hand on my shoulder.

He leans in, and this time his voice is a whisper.

"I won't forget you, that's a promise, and I never go back on my word." He informs me.

I feel my face turn beet red when he pulls away from me, a serious expression settling into his features.

_ I could kiss him…_

I don't follow through on the thought, not wanting to be anymore embarrassed than I already am.

"It's time we got going." Jiraiya says, changing the subject, and Minato locks eyes with his old teacher.

"Good bye sensei, I'll see you when you get back." Minato says, and Jiraiya nods once.

Tsunade pats Shizune on the shoulder reassuringly.

"You can handle it Shizune, I have faith in you." Tsunade reassures her student, and the younger woman nods.

Together, Tsunade, Jiraiya and I all turn and walk away from the village, the sun beginning to set in the distance casting a soft orange light to the sky.

_I will get stronger, I'll learn everything I can and come back to my home ready to put an end Akatsuki and make my dreams a reality._

Epilogue

My name is Kabuto Yakushi, and things are good. Very good.

I sit in my darkly lit office, staring up at the ceiling while waves of euphoria wash over me. At the edge of my vision, I can see the red hair of Tayuya between my legs.

Sitting there, I remember that things always weren't this good, that three years ago, things had been rather bleak indeed.

_We'd just returned from that disastrous attack on Konoha, Orochimaru-sama was beaten, and many of our ninja were dead. With Orochimaru-sama gone, the glue that held everything together fell apart, and the Sound Ninja Four begin vying for control. It was only through sheer genius that I managed to come out on top, and in control no less._

The memory is something I relish, a sweet victory in the darkest of times in my life. Researching the curse marks, learning how they work, how to manipulate them for my needs.

Suddenly, all the muscles in my body tighten, and all at once there's a release of tremendous feeling, and my body sinks into the chair. For a few moments everything is quiet, until I hear the sound of a zipper, and Tayuya stands up from between my legs, a questioning expression on her face.

"Kabuto-sama, was it good?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yes, Tayuya." I affirm for her with a smile.

Sitting up straight, I see a look of desperation enter into her eyes.

"Then, please Kabuto-sama…" She begs, and I nod.

I reach into my pocket and withdraw a corked 10 ml vial full of dark green liquid. I hand it to her, and the red haired girl eagerly snaps it out of my hands and removes the cork, downing the entire vial without a second thought. A moment after the liquid goes down her throat, her eyes drift back into her head, a euphoric state settling into her features.

I suppress the desire to laugh, knowing that doing it now could easily disrupt the ecstatic state she's entered into, and the girl has so earned it.

Instead, I remember the day I achieved my victory, and brought all four of the Sound Ninja Four under my control.

&

They'd been fighting in an underground room, each of them wanting to kill one another, but none of them had managed to gain the upper hand. All four of them were in the Curse Seal Level 2 states, and all of them were on the verge of exhaustion. They'd been fighting for almost an hour, and I'd been busy working nearly two weeks, setting everything up and getting everything exactly as I wanted it. Standing in a glass front viewing room, I hold a small remote device in my hand, watching the four of them stare each other down, taking big gulping breaths of the air in the room.

"Perfect…" I mutter, and my thumb comes down on the button.

Rather than an explosion, or some other attack, a green gas begins to flood into the room through the ventilation system without a sound. The first to notice is Sakon, or maybe it was Ukon, I don't know, it's so hard to tell between them when they're merged like they always are.

"Something's wrong." The Shinobi points out, but by then, it was too late.

The four of them look around as the green gas fills the chamber, and they all start coughing as they try not to breathe in the supposedly poison gas. The one called Kidomaru turns and looks at the window, the effects of the gas already beginning to take affect as he extends one of his six arms toward the glass.

"Kabuto, you bastard." He mutters, and then his mind is gone, just like the other three.

They never stood a chance, the gas's efficacy is near perfect, and the results back up that claim. The green gas quickly dissipates into the air, and the four of them stand there in their Level 2 forms, staring off at nothing with blank expressions in their eyes.

After 25 long minutes, plenty of time for the gas to dissipate and leave no trace in the air, I leave the viewing room and walk to the entrance of the large underground chamber. Releasing the lock, I walk inside and see that the four of them are still as high as kites in the summer wind.

Knowing that the initial affect is the longest, I patiently wait, watching the four of them in their euphoric state with a smile on my face.

Finally, after nearly ten minutes, Jirobo is the first to come down, his large body breaking down the drug faster then the others.

He blinks several times, the blank look disappearing after the first blink and he spots me immediately. He looks at me and lets out a growl, and I raise my left hand, and he stops mid stride, curiosity filling his eyes.

"I think it would be wise for you to listen to what I have to say, before you crush me into little bits." I suggest to him, and the others begin to come to their senses as well.

Tayuya is the last, and all of them seem to radiate anger once they realize where they are and how close I am to all of them.

"He says he's got something to say." Jirobo says, and Kidomaru looks around before his eyes rest on me.

"Then say it megane, before we all pound you into ground beef."

I smile.

"You all no doubt remember that wonderful little green gas you inhaled?" I ask, and they all nod, still in their curse forms. "Well, that gas was an airborne variant of a drug that I've developed, especially for the four of you."

Tayuya is the first to growl, raising her fist to strike me.

"Why you bastard!" She growls, but I shake my pointer finger at her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I warn her. "You see, that drug I've subjected you all to works with your curse mark, it gives you that euphoric state, and should you not get more of it before long, you'll begin to go through withdrawal symptoms that will make you wish you were dead. However, if you swear loyalty to me, I'll keep all of you supplied, and everyone will be happy."

Tayuya reaches out to grab me, not caring one bit for what I had to say, but I'm faster than she is in her exhausted state. I jump back and turn, bolting for the only door into the room. By the time Kidomaru readies some of his web to catch me; I'm through the door and close it behind me. I quickly lock the door, hearing the four of them yell from behind the reinforced concrete door.

"24 hours should be long enough; I'll return then and see if you four have a better answer for me."

With that, I turn and walk away from the door, hearing the pounding of fists against the concrete, but in their current states not one of them has the power to break out. I smile while my feet gently tap against the halls, and I start toward the facilities' laboratory. I push the door open, and inside there are computers lining three of the room's four walls.

The room is dimly lit, and against the 4th wall is a giant tube that runs the full height of the ten foot tall room. The clear tube is filled with a clear liquid, and inside that tube, the form of a human body in development greets me. I walk toward the consoles, checking all the readings and the chemical feed rates, adjusting them all slightly. Once I'm done with the routine check up, I walk toward the three foot wide tube and put my hand on the glass, feeling the heat of the liquid inside.

"Orochimaru-sama, soon everything will be as it should be…" I mutter to the creature growing in the glass.

It was sheer luck that I found one of Orochimaru's hairs, and using that I was able to extract everything I need to replicate his cells and begin growing a new Orochimaru.

_Soon, Orochimaru-sama, everything will be as it should be, you'll be reborn in a new body, and you'll get your chance to exact revenge on everyone that's wronged you._

The creature inside the tube stirs, and I smile, knowing full well that he can hear me, and he's elated at the news.

_Just a little longer…_

(Well, this is the end of the Part 1, and maybe in 2 weeks I'll start writing Part 2. I fully intend to take a break from this for a bit, and it was only finishing out part 1 that motivated me to write this so quickly. Tell me what you all think, c ya next time.)

Next Time: Returns and Renewals stay tuned.


	21. Chapter 21

(Well, here's chapter 21, the first chapter of my Part II

(Well, here's chapter 21, the first chapter of my Part II. I've got to say that the whole 'clone of Orochimaru' idea got a lot of response, and I'm basing it on the fact that in canon, Kabuto takes some of Orochimaru's cells and implants them into his body, and the cells begin to spread and take over as though they're sentient. If that were the case, then if you create a new body using his cells, then you'd get the same result. Thus he'd know everything he did before his 'death' and would be ready and waiting to take revenge, as Kabuto believes him to be. Several characters show up in this one, and the snippet you all read earlier is the beginning to the chapter. It'll be betaed, and I added a bit more detail to some of it, so hopefully it'll be worth reading. Anyway, I'm babbling.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 21: Reinvigoration

It's been nearly four years since I last laid eyes on my home village of Konoha. I've changed clothes since I left the village, partly because my old ones were torn to shreds during my training, and I've grown since I've left. Jiraiya has commented that 'soon you'll be in Tsunade's league' and given me a thumbs up, though shortly afterward Tsunade's fist left a dent in his skull. I wear a purple and black long sleeve light jacket. The sleeves are black, with my torso a deep purple color, save for a black strip that runs across my chest and covers my back and sides. The trim of the jacket is black too, and the collar rests loosely against my neck. Beneath the jacket I wear a fishnet shirt made of steel fibers designed to stop a kunai. On my bottom I wear a pair of black shorts that come down to my mid thigh. On my feet I wear the same ninja sandals I've always worn; my Konoha headband rests in my left pocket. I wear a black backpack on my back, the pack stuffed full with supplies and other essentials. On my right thigh I wear a kunai holster, held to my thigh with white medical tape underneath to protect the skin from the tight strap. My hair is cut to keep my bangs out of my eyes, and the back and sides of my hair hang down, the majority of my hair pushed behind my ears to keep it from my eyes. After working with it for so long, it naturally lays back and doesn't get in my way very much. My exposed skin is fair and lacking in any scars, a testament to the Kyuubi's presence in my body. Without it, the training would've left me with quite a few bumps and bruises that would've slowed the training down even more.

_But the training is done, they're both done working with me and they both think I'm ready to return to the village and start doing something constructive. I mean, I'm thankful that they both wanted to train me, but these last four years of having to look over my shoulder and watch out for Akatsuki has been murder. I would've killed to hurry the training along, but now it's done. It's done and I'm ready to crack some criminal shinobi skulls…_

"Jiraiya quit staring at her ass!" Tsunade's roar fills my ears, followed shortly by a loud THUD of Tsunade's fist impacting Jiraiya's skull.

I sigh lightly while Jiraiya grumbles in protest and I shake my head slowly in disgust.

_Those two, they're like oil and water sometimes, and other times I see them looking at each other longingly, and I'm pretty sure a few of the times I went to bed exhausted but couldn't sleep I could hear moans from nearby._

_Apparently I've 'filled out' enough to garner the unwanted advances of the Toad Mountain Sage Jiraiya, but what about Naruto, and for that matter, what about everyone else? What if I come back to the village only to find that Shino or Kurenai-sensei has died on a mission or Naruto for that matter? If he died…_

I shake my head violently, my lower back length hair swinging around behind me and eventually coming to rest against my back.

_No, I don't want to think about that, I don't want to think about how I'd feel if he died or if he fell in love with someone else and didn't want me around anymore._

I feel tears slide down my cheeks at the thought, and then a gentle hand touches my left shoulder. I turn and look at the hand and see Tsunade standing behind me, a sympathetic expression on her face.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" She asks, and I nod solemnly.

"I can't help but think that he's found someone, and he's not going to care about me." I lament.

The 54 year old smiles reassuringly.

"Naruto's a good kid; he wouldn't just forget about you, it isn't in him, unlike some other people." She says while staring toward Jiraiya.

The Toad Sannin gains a look of puzzlement.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jiraiya quickly retorts, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. "I've always thought of you when we were apart."

"Yeah, you think about me and imagine what I look like naked!" She practically roars back at him.

Jiraiya quickly waves his hands in defense.

"I don't think like that!" Jiraiya quickly defends himself, but Tsunade's fist finds his skull with a loud BONG.

I shake my head again, having seen the scene play out before me countless times during my time away from the village.

Sighing, I turn my body to face both of them, and when the two Sannin notice my movement and the seriousness in the air around me, they both stop bickering with each other and turn their attention toward me.

"What's wrong Hinata-chan?" Tsunade asks, her eyes showing curiosity, a practical mirror image in Jiraiya's eyes.

"I'd like a favor from both of you." I begin, and I see the curiosity in their eyes amplify.

"What is it Hinata-chan?" Tsunade asks again.

I look down before I speak, feeling a little ashamed of what I'm about to say.

"Would the two of you consider returning to the village separately from me?" I ask.

Now, surprise and wonder enters both of their gazes. The two Sannin look at each other, and for a moment nothing is said, but more is communicated between the two of them then I can even begin to guess at. After that moment, they both turn back toward me, though it is Tsunade who speaks.

"Why do you want to return separate from us?" Tsunade asks with an even tone, though beneath it I can hear her curiosity.

Having spent nearly four years with the two of them, I've learned to read both of them quite well. Looking up at them I know exactly what they're both thinking in a split second, as much as they probably hate the fact that I figured them both out.

_Jiraiya is curious, though he really couldn't care one way or the other how we go back to the village. Tsunade though thinks that they've done something to make me ashamed of them or that I'm sick of listening to the two of them fight amongst themselves._

"If I return to the village with the both of you, it'll be like a billboard advertisement to anyone looking on who I am, and I don't want to broadcast my presence to the village unless I have to."

A look of annoyance spreads across Tsunade's features.

"Does this have something to do with Hizashi? Are you afraid of him knowing you've returned because you don't want him to try and kill you?" She asks.

I shake my head no.

"There are many people in Konoha that despise me for what I am, because of the demon I carry inside me. If those people can continue to live happier knowing that I'm gone from the village, and if Akatsuki thinks I'm still gone from the village, then they won't make a move on it because they'll think I'm out with the two of you."

"Who cares about the ignorant masses in the village!?" Tsunade retorts. "If they hate you because you're the Jinchuriki then they're scum and don't deserve your thoughts!"

I shake my head no.

"I also don't want Naruto to know that I'm back until I'm sure that he hasn't found someone. If he has, then I don't want to ruin his happiness by returning and stirring up old feelings that he's long forgotten and are only going to complicate things."

The two of them don't speak, and instead they look at each other for a moment of silent communication, and then both of them turn back to me. Both of them nod, though Tsunade wears an exasperated expression on her face.

"We understand." Jiraiya says simply.

Both of them disappear into the trees in a blur of motion, showing me that in spite of their age, both of them are still able shinobi. I take a deep breath, holding it for a moment before I blow it out, feeling some of the anxiety that has built up inside of me go with the held breath, my muscles relaxing in spite of the task ahead.

I grab at the left strap to my backpack and take the pack from my back. Setting it down I open the top compartment and reach inside, withdrawing a gray hooded mantle I bought while I was out with Tsunade and Jiraiya. The hood has served me well during trips into civilized areas to get supplies and both Tsunade and Jiraiya a drink.

I dawn the mantle, clasping the long cloak closed at my collar before I pull the hood up.

_The longer people don't know I've returned the better. I only hope that all my fears are for naught and Naruto isn't in love with Sakura or some other girl younger than us. _

I glance up toward the sky, looking through the tree tops to the sun high in the sky. With the cloak on, some of the sun's rays are blocked, and it's slightly cooler than without it.

_Stop procrastinating! Either go back to the village or don't and live out in the wild the rest of your natural born life, look over your shoulder the rest of your days and never again see the faces of the people you care about, and the one you love._

I nod to the inner voice, my decision made.

I start walking back toward the village, the path before me stretching out ahead of me.

&

It's been almost an hour, and the village gate is just ahead. Two Chuunin sit at the guard station, both of them looking as bored as anyone can get, and I can only imagine how boring gate duty must be.

_Though they've got Chuunin doing it now, that means Konoha's military strength has recovered a bit since I left. _

Walking to the guard station, I move past it when the bandana wearing Chuunin speaks up.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" He orders me in a commanding voice.

I grasp the hood and pull it down, revealing my face to the man before I turn and look into his eyes.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga, ninja identification number D-17034."

The man looks down at a clipboard on the desk, flipping through a set of papers before he looks up and nods at me.

"All right, you can pass." He says.

"Thank you." I begin, pulling the hood up on my mantle before I continue speaking. "I would appreciate it if you kept my presence in the village on a need to know basis."

"I will." He says, though his tone tells me that he doesn't understand why I'm making the request.

With that I leave the gate and start walking toward the center of the village, and the Hokage's tower in the middle of it.

&

My walk into the village is short, and before long I find myself in the shopping district. On the trip into the village I notice that the people of the village don't glare at me with animosity in their eyes, in fact the opposite appears to be true.

_They don't care about me, because they don't know who I really am. I wonder; are they happy because the Jinchuriki isn't here, and they don't even care that I haven't shown my face in so long?_

_For that matter, how well has Minato-dono been covering up my being gone?_

The shopping district is sprawling with people walking about, doing their business in the morning sun. Then, I see two familiar figures at the other end of the street. One of them is a long pink haired girl with a red headband tied into her hair like a hair band. She wears a red sleeveless blouse and a pair of black spandex shorts that come down to her mid thigh. She wears normal ninja sandals and has a chain across her developed chest between her breasts, the hooked end of a kusarigama hung in the chain, the tip secure in the chain. (Comment: Interesting choice of weapon.)

_Sakura Haruno._

Next to her walks a tall spiky blonde haired blue eyed boy. He's grown since I've last seen him, now almost two inches taller than Sakura and I. He wears an open green shinobi vest over top of a black and orange long sleeve high collar shirt. The majority of his shirt is black, with two orange rectangles on his chest that stop an inch before the bottom of the shirt and an inch from his shoulders. On his left sleeve there's an embroidered white spiral design. His pants are black, and he wears blue sandals on his feet, his headband adorning his forehead. He's grown muscular since I left the village, and his weight restraints are perfectly concealed by his clothes. On his left leg he wears a weapon pouch.

He wears a smile on his face, and both Sakura and Naruto have a very friendly atmosphere between them.

_Oh no._

I feel fear begin to grip at my heart, seeing Naruto smile at Sakura, and both of them laughing at something I can't even begin to guess at.

For a moment time seems to slow down, and watching the two of them walk toward me in slow motion is torture.

_No, I can't bear the thought of hearing him in love with Sakura. I can't bear the thought of hearing him tell me he doesn't care about me the way he did before I left._

I grab the edge of the hood, and I pull it farther down to further conceal my face. The two of them walk toward me, and I look down, pulling on the hood to keep either of them from getting a good look at my face. I choose to walk to my left, walking past Naruto and not trusting myself to be near Sakura, out of fear that I'd reach out and hit the girl with a gentle fist blow that would kill her with the gentlest touch.

While I walk past, the two of them are laughing together about something, and once I'm past Naruto I feel tears begin to fall down my cheeks.

_Don't call out and don't betray who you are to them. If he really is in love with Sakura, then it'll be best if you just get your things from the Hokage manor and find an apartment somewhere in a dark corner of the village._

I take six steps past him before I hear Naruto's voice whisper into my ears.

"Hinata?" I can hear him ask, his voice directed toward me.

_Don't stop; don't give him a reason to think that he's talking to you._

"You think you saw your old teammate?" Sakura asks curiously.

"Yes…" He answers her, raising his voice. "Hinata!" He practically screams toward me.

_Don't stop, just keep walking, and let him be happy with his new love._

"That's not her, Naruto." Sakura gently explains to him. "She didn't even pause when you yelled out her name." (Comment: Oh Hinata and her confidence issues.)

"No." His voice is now only a whisper with my ever increasing distance. "I'm not wrong."

Then, something wholly unexpected happens.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Naruto's yell bursts from behind me.

There's a POP of one of the shadow clones and a cloud of smoke over my head. I look up to see the clone fall directly toward me. It lands on my shoulders, moving to spread its weight out across my back in the split second we fall. I hit the ground with the clone on my back with a loud thud. I manage to land on a combination of my left shoulder and arms, preventing my chest from getting squashed by the weight of my body and the clone on top of me. The hood flies from my head during the free fall, and slumps on my shoulders. I look over my right shoulder to see the clone sitting on my back, its hands on its knees with its legs on either side of my ribs. Chakra glows at its feet, pinning the mantle and my body to the ground.

The clone has a serious expression on its face, and it looks to me for a moment, and then turns its head toward the original Naruto.

"It's her, no doubt about it." The clone speaks, giving the original a thumb up before it disappears in a puff of smoke a moment later.

Found out, I lie there on the ground after the clone disappears, the real Naruto moving toward me in a slow jog while Sakura walks calmly. He stops at my right shoulder, and I look up at him, feeling my own mix of happiness and shame at seeing him, and seeing confused happiness in his features while he kneels down, offering me a hand to help me up.

"Hey, Hinata." He says in greeting, his tone telling me he doesn't know what else to say.

_I knew it, he's in love with her and it's all because I went away. It isn't his fault I left, and I can't blame him, and I can't blame her either. Maybe the pink haired bitch finally wised up to the foolishness in chasing Sasuke Uchiha and decided to go for someone sane._

My thoughts go through my mind in a split second. I reach out to take his hand, feeling butterflies in my stomach at his touch while he helps me to my feet.

"It's been a long time…" He says, though his tone tells me that he still doesn't know what to say.

_But, he'll segue into his involvement with Sakura._

I stay quiet, preparing myself for the revelation that I **know** is coming and neither of us speak until Sakura approaches us.

"Hello, I'm Sakura Haruno." She introduces herself since we never really formally met, not at the Chuunin exams or during our time at the academy.

"I'm Hinata Hyuga; it's nice to finally meet you." I say, forcing myself to be polite, to not reach out and wring her little whore neck. (Insert guffaw here.)

_If his crush on her reignited when I left, I don't want to make him angry by trying to kill his girlfriend. What kind of person would I be by taking pleasure in depriving someone of I care about of his happiness, even if it would feel incredibly good to give her a piece of my mind._

After Sakura introduces herself, an uncomfortable silence begins to develop between the three of us, and I take charge, wanting to get the revelation out of the way so I can at least have some confirmation of my fears.

"Well…" I begin, breaking the silence. "You two look really nice together." I continue, trying to sound happy for them but feeling anything but. "You look like a really nice couple." I force a smile.

At that, I see surprise play across both of their features, not the embarrassment I would've expected from a couple being told they look good together.

Then Naruto points to Sakura, a questioning expression filling his features.

"You think Sakura-chan and I are dating?" Naruto asks in surprise, and his tone is enough to tell me that my fears are unfounded.

"Well, you had a crush on Sakura-san at the academy." I point out, and Sakura shakes her head.

"Sasuke-kun and I are together now." The Haruno girl informs me with a nervous smile. "Naruto-kun and I are just out on an errand for Shizune-sensei to pick up a large order of medical herbs." Sakura explains.

I feel a sigh of relief escape my lips; and my shoulders slouch in relief, but I quickly correct my posture.

_I don't want to look like I'm some hopeless romantic._

"Um, why are you doing that?" I ask, clueless as to the reason their out together.

"Both Sakura-chan and I help out at the Center for the Healing Arts and Combat Medicine, or what's more commonly called the 'Medical Academy.'" He explains. "Both Sakura-chan and I were a part of the first class that went through the curriculum, and Shizune-sensei doesn't have any help to spare, so we help her out on errands when we've got some downtime."

"A medical academy?" I ask, and Naruto nods.

Sakura glances sideways, showing an expression of awkwardness, and Naruto avoids looking me in the eyes while he talks, the boy obviously anxious at seeing me for the first time, though he does try to hide it.

"For a while now dad wanted to create a place devoted to teaching Shinobi the healing arts, but he never had an expert healer that could properly teach the next generation of healers after Tsunade-sama left the first time." Naruto explains. "Now though, students entering the ninja academy are tested for skill with chakra control and talents with basic medical ninjutsu and are encouraged to go through the program, and those that want to become medical ninja have a place they can learn." Naruto explains. "The village even offers higher pay for medics on missions, and other incentives to make becoming a healer 'worth it' to a student that might not see the point in learning how to heal."

"That's a good thing." I begin. "The village having qualified and skilled healers will help keep the people safe, and many of our shinobi alive that would die on the battlefield."

Naruto scratches the back of his, and then blinks once, and it's like something hits him in the head.

"The errand!" He yells in remembrance, and then looks to Sakura and then me. "We have to get going, I'll see you when I get home, okay Hina-hime?" He asks, and I nod.

Both he and Sakura jog off, and Sakura waves good bye and I return the wave, my animosity toward the kunoichi gone like dust in the wind.

_I still need to talk to him about my living arrangements. Before it was just because I was on the heels of my grandmother's death, and an assassination attempt, now I'm almost seventeen, and I can't live in the Hokage manor with the Hokage and his wife and child forever. Not that I want to return to the Hyuga manor, a nice unassuming apartment somewhere would be fine with me._

Unfortunately Naruto is out of earshot after three heartbeats, and I sigh lightly, reminding myself that I'll get another chance.

_He isn't in love with Sakura, and yet she says she's in love with that psycho Sasuke._

My last memories of the Uchiha boy come back to me, the fires he himself started in an attempt to try and murder me. I remember his insane laugh, the way the mark seemed to allow him to ignore pain, or embrace it, and I feel a shiver run down my spine.

_The longer I DON'T run into him, the better I'll feel._

Out of nowhere a female ANBU member with long purple hair appears next to me. The woman wears a fox mask, and is only a few inches taller than I am. She turns and looks at me behind the emotionless mask of the fox.

"Hokage-dono wishes to speak to you immediately." The woman says in an even voice.

I nod, and the ANBU starts walking back toward the tower. I quickly pull the hood up, concealing my face from passersby.

&

The trip to the Hokage's office is uneventful, though I still draw looks from the people in the street, just not the same looks of disdain I drew before I left.

_Most ANBU travel by rooftop and remain hidden, seeing one walking in front of a hooded girl out in the open is a rarity. Most of them probably just thought I was some kind of special guest of the Hokage or something._

The woman leads me to the Hokage's office, and once I'm there I see the man sitting behind his desk, a small one foot high mountain of paperwork on the desk. The now older looking blonde haired man stares at the pile of papers with dread in his eyes. However, upon my entrance and the lowering of my hood, his expression brightens; the mountain of paperwork forgotten.

"If you'll excuse me." The ANBU says, bowing to the Hokage and then leaving his office, closing the door behind her.

The man looks visibly older than he did before I left, with stress induced wrinkles on his face.

_Apparently the job can be rather strenuous, and some people want that position? But then again, until a while ago I wanted to lead the Hyuga clan, thinking that it was important that I ascend to my 'rightful place' as leader of the clan. Well, almost dying during training with two strict teachers will tend to change your outlook on life, and leading a clan of backstabbers and power hungry people is about the last thing I want now._

"Hokage-dono." I bow to him, showing my respect.

"Please…" He begins. "Call me Minato. It's been so long since I've seen you." He says, standing up. "Let me get a good look at you, you've changed so much."

I nod, removing the mantle while the man walks around his desk. He stops in front of his desk, and I hold the mantle in my left hand while his eyes take in my matured body, and he nods once.

"My boy sure is lucky." He mutters approvingly.

I force myself not to blush at his roundabout comment.

The man grabs a chair set against a wall on my right and slides it in front of his desk.

"Please sit." He says.

I nod, and he walks around the desk, sitting down in his chair while I sit down in the wooden chair, allowing myself to relax for the first time in a long time. I drape the mantle across my legs, allowing parts of it to hang off on either side.

"You've been well?" He asks, and I nod.

"The training was tough, but I managed somehow, what about you?" I ask.

"I've been busy." He sighs in exhaustion, as though remembering everything he's done the last four years is taxing.

"What about my living arrangements?" I ask.

"I'd be happy to continue to shelter you." He offers. "The Hyuga clan hasn't changed leadership since you left, and Hizashi has taking to your apparent disappearance to spread rumors of your demise at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha. While I've gone on record several times that you hadn't been killed, Hizashi has taken to it like a bee to honey."

"I don't want him to know I've returned." I inform the Hokage. "I think it would be best if he continued to believe in delusional fantasies that I'm dead."

"Well, it will be hard to keep your presence a secret, and don't you want to assume control of the clan now that you've grown stronger?" He asks.

I shake my head no solemnly.

"My perspective on both the clan and my goals in life has shifted dramatically over the last four years." I explain to the Hokage. "I've come to the realization that while I love my grandmother, and I miss her, my ascension to leadership of the clan was what she wanted, and not what I wanted." I explain to him. "I only wanted to live happily with the people I care about, and becoming leader to the clan won't help with that, and will only put a burden on those around me."

"I see." The thirty year old man says, leaning back in his chair. "Have you met Naruto again?" He asks, a smile coming across his face at the mention of his son.

"I have, he's grown." I comment with a nod, and Minato mirrors the gesture.

"He's become a Tokubetsu Jounin, and everyone else in your graduating class has advanced through to at least Chuunin." Minato informs me.

_When I left, that would mean that Naruto and Shino would need a new third person to be able to take the Chuunin exams again._

Thinking about the Chuunin exams, I remember what happened before I left the village, the destruction and death caused by the Sound-Sand alliance that nearly destroyed the village.

_It seems like it was so long ago, another lifetime now._

"Naruto has been worried about you." Minato continues. "He was worried what Jiraiya-sensei might subject you to during your training. Jiraiya-sensei told me stories about the 'hermit training' he underwent when he was younger."

When I hear the words 'hermit training' I remember a lake of oil, surrounded on nearly all sides by stone toad statues.

The image is there and gone in a blink of an eye.

"I heard about that training as well." I offer him, not telling the Hokage the whole truth. "But, I'm back now, and I need to get back to work, putting an end to Akatsuki."

The Hokage nods once.

"Almost a year ago, the Hidden Sand Village was attacked by two Akatsuki members; they stole the Ichibi and its Jinchuriki. We sent help, and the Kazekage managed to survive the demon being removed from his body, though it was a hard fought mission that left Kakashi Hatake in the hospital for nearly a week." He explains to me. "Six months ago, the Hidden Cloud Village was attacked, and the Hachibi was lost as well. The Raikage has since held a council of the Five Kage, declaring that the Land of Lightning will be going to war with Akatsuki and anyone who shelters them." He pauses a moment. "Right now, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Rain are locked in a stalemate, and as far we can figure, you're the last remaining Jinchuriki Hinata." He says, finishing his report.

I feel a cold realization in my stomach at the news that a conflict has broken out across the land, all the while I was off training, completely blind to the situation.

A silence falls over the room, and a knock seems to blare through the Hokage's office. I nearly jump out of my skin in surprise, and I look to the door, hearing Minato speak a moment later.

"Come in." Minato ushers, and the door opens.

An ANBU woman strides into the doorway. Her face is concealed by a boar mask; her body is shaped as though someone sculpted it, her muscles tight and strong. She is a woman in peak physical condition.

"You wished to see me, Hokage-dono?" The woman asks, and I recognize her voice from long past.

"Yes, Haruka…" Minato trails off, looking to me. "This is Hinata Hyuga." He says.

The woman turns toward me and removes her mask, revealing her face, and I recognize it from my memories.

_Her…_

The ANBU Uchiha woman from when Itachi attacked the village stands in front of me, her body not showing the passage of nearly four years. Her hair is still long and dark, tied into a long pony tail at the back of her head near the top of her head.

"You've grown up." She smiles at me, and I return the smile to the woman.

_Kurenai-sensei's teacher._

"Haruka will be Kurenai Yuuhi's replacement." Minato says, and I feel a tendril of fear leak into my mind.

"What happened to Kurenai-sensei?" I ask, wondering how Naruto could forget to mention that she was hurt or killed, my tone showing my fear.

The blonde haired man smiles reassuringly.

"Kurenai's had a child, and the baby is simply far too young to be left without his mother." Minato explains. "Kurenai is on maternity leave until the child is old enough that he isn't dependent on his mother for nourishment."

I nod once, absorbing the information given to me by the Hokage.

"For the next few days, I won't be giving your team an assignment." Minato informs me. "You should get to know the village, and even spend some time with Naruto, I'm sure he'd appreciate it." Minato offers. "Although, I still have some things I need to discuss with Haruka, so if you don't have any questions, you're dismissed Hinata." He says, and I nod.

"Thank you, Hokage-dono." I nod to him.

I take the mantle from my legs and stand up; I walk around the chair, nodding to Haruka before I walk past her. At the door and I stop and turn, bowing to the man before I leave his office and close the door behind me. The Chuunin guards stand stone faced, and I return the hood to my head, wrapping my body in the mantle before I exit the tower.

_I don't need people running around saying 'the fox-girl is back, the fox girl is back!' _

I walk out of the tower, the path committed to my memory long ago. I hit the streets without incident, and knowing that Naruto is probably still off on his errand with Sakura, I just stand in the street in front of the tower, not knowing what to do or where to go, so many options before me.

Then, I notice a familiar face walking down the street. The face is male; my age with short dark hair, his bangs cut so the hair frames the side of his face, and his boyish good looks having not changed since I last saw him. The boy now wears the uniform of a Konoha Jounin, and a strange looking straight sword is strapped to his back, the sword looking like an ancient weapon rather than a modern katana or straight sword.

_Sasuke Uchiha, insanity incarnate._

I pull the hood down and turn my face away from him, not wanting the Uchiha boy to recognize while he walks by. I keep silent while the teenaged Uchiha saunters by, and I start walking. I manage to take two steps before I hear the boy's voice enter my ears.

"You, in the hood, stop." He orders.

I do as instructed, only I half turn toward him, keeping the hood between him and the majority of my face.

"What's the problem? Was I doing something wrong?" I ask, keeping my tone innocent, hoping he'll think that I'm someone else.

"Come with me." He says simply, and starts walking, as though there's no question that I'll follow.

For a moment I think about refusing. I think about telling the Uchiha to go cram his orders where the sun doesn't shine, but I don't. If a fight were to break out, I'd have to use everything I know to restrain him, and that would reveal my presence to everyone around, and the rumors would spread like wildfire.

Instead I follow the arrogant Uchiha, and he leads me to a small secluded little area with a tiny stream running through it with an arched bridge going over the six foot wide stream. Trees surround the edges of the area, giving it the feel of a clearing in the middle of the forest, even though it's in the middle of a village.

He stops, and the boy spins on his heels, his left hand hanging at his side and he points at me with his right hand.

"Take off that ridiculous hood." He orders me.

"Why would I have to do that?" I ask, playing innocent. "I'm nothing more than a civilian and my skin is sensitive to sunlight." I protest.

The boy smirks cockily.

"There's no point in hiding it, I know who you are, so just take off the stupid hood already." He says again, not for a moment losing that trademarked arrogance.

I exhale a short sigh before I pull the hood down, glaring at the Uchiha.

"What do you want from me?" I ask in a bitter greeting, showing my displeasure.

For a moment the boy is silent, and then finally he opens his mouth.

"You saved my life." He says simply, and I shake my head no.

"Naruto was the one who pulled you out of the fight against the demon Shukaku." I inform him. "Not me."

"Naruto isn't the one who fought against that monster and defeated it, you are." He reminds me.

"What of it?" I ask, not caring what the boy thinks of me, and not all that happy at his presence at all in my life.

"You're the one I've thought about the most the last four years." He admits, and I feel a foreboding sense of dread rise inside my stomach. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, what you did, and how powerful you must be to have defeated that monster that not even I could touch." He finishes.

"Where are you going with all this?" I ask, wanting him to get to the point, and at the same time dreading him doing just that.

"I think, or rather, I know, I've fallen in love with you." He confesses to me. I can barely hear the Kyuubi 'humph' in my mind. Unlike the demon inside of me, I don't know what to say.

_He thinks he loves me? What about Sakura?_

"What about Sakura Haruno?" I ask, my first rational thought leaving my lips.

He scoffs, looking away from me toward the ground.

"Sakura is an annoyance, I never agreed to anything with her. I've allowed her to delude herself into thinking I care for her so I could learn about interactions with the opposite sex."

_This low down…_

"I'm nothing like Sakura." I protest, and he nods.

"I know you're different because you're a kindred spirit, you've lost those precious to you, and you can share in my pain, as I in yours."

_He isn't just nuts; he's on a whole other planet!_

Then, out of nowhere a large white wolf looking animal and a boy with brown hair wearing a dark jacket appear on a nearby tree branch. It takes me a moment to recognize the duo as Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru, who's grown large enough that he now straddles the dog like a horse.

"There you are Sasuke." Kiba says in recognition of his teammate.

Still looking at me, the Uchiha's expression shifts to one of annoyance and then he half turns toward his teammate, looking up at the dog/shinobi combination above on the tree branch.

"What do you want Kiba?" Sasuke asks; his voice betraying his annoyance to everyone present.

"We have a mission." Kiba says simply. "Kakashi-sensei ordered me to round up the team."

Sasuke sighs, looking to me for a moment before he speaks.

"Think about what I said." He says, not a request before he turns to Kiba. "Lead the way." He finishes with resignation in his voice.

For a moment I fear that the Inuzuka boy will recognize me from my scent, and I notice him look at me for a long heartbeat before he shrugs his shoulders.

"Let's go Akamaru." Kiba says, and the dog yips a response.

The dog takes off, and Sasuke follows suit, leaving me alone in the small area. While the two of them travel, I stand there and I can faintly hear the conversation between the two teammates.

"Why are you trying to get with a Hyuga when you've already got Sakura?" Kiba inquisitively asks.

"Mind your own business." The Uchiha snaps back, and then the two of them are out of earshot.

I take a deep breath, and then exhale it, allowing some of the tension to leave my body along with the exhaled breath.

_He confessed to me, he told me he loves me! But, is there really anything to what he said? I mean, he's Sasuke Uchiha, the boy who watched his parents get murdered by his older brother when he was seven._

I shake my head no, closing my eyes for a moment while I think.

_Sasuke was never really all there to begin with, so he can't possibly know what love is. Although, I do feel bad for Sakura, I wonder what she'll do when she learns that Sasuke couldn't give a fart in the breeze for her. I'd be crushed if Naruto told me that he didn't care about me._

The bushes nearby rustle, and I turn to look to see a teenaged boy in a gray hooded jacket emerge from the bushes. I can tell that the boy is an Aburame, wearing dark brown pants and ninja sandals with a weapon pouch on his left leg. He has oval shaped sunglasses on his face and short dark hair. The coat is buttoned up in front of him, with his hands in his pockets. He has a neutral air about him, and I immediately recognize the boy.

_Shino, you've changed too._

"Shino, that's you right?" I ask, and the Aburame nods once.

"It is. How do you do, Hinata Hyuga?" He asks, returning my greeting in his own way.

"I'm living." I respond, segueing into my next question. "How'd you find me?" I ask curiously.

"I have long since had a scent producing female kikai bug living on you since before you left the village." He explains to me in an even tone.

My mouth nearly drops to the ground.

"How is that possible?" I stammer, and he keeps his expression neutral.

"The kikai is a very versatile crawler, and has been living off of your chakra since before you left the village, but due to your enormous amount, I doubt you hardly noticed."

_But, in the time I've been gone I've showered and bathed countless times, how could it still be on me?_

I feel a shiver run up my spine when I think about where the kikai bug may've crawled to, and I quickly shut down the train of thought before it can get anywhere.

_I just hope it isn't someplace embarrassing._

"Have you run into Naruto yet?" Shino asks, keeping his voice neutral, and thankfully changing the subject.

"I have, but it wasn't for very long, he was on an errand for Shizune." I inform my teammate. "Tell me, how have you been Shino? Have you met anyone you like?" I ask, leaning toward him slightly.

"I've been busy with work as a shinobi." He quickly retorts with his voice still even. "I haven't put any thought into the matter of romance."

I remember something Jiraiya said to me during my time away.

_"As kids get older they think more and more about sex and the opposite sex as their hormones kick in, it's only natural."_

_Judging from Shino's response, he still doesn't think about women as anything other than teammates or comrades, he can't have met anyone that he's attracted to._

"I know you'll find someone for yourself eventually." I inform him, and then I switch gears. "Tell me, I've heard you've improved to Chuunin rank, but it doesn't look like you've gotten that much stronger." I keep my tone casual.

"I have learned several high level Aburame kikai techniques that many do not master until they are much older and have much more experience with their colonies." He informs me.

"That's impressive." I offer. "Have you heard anything about our new team leader?" I ask.

"I learned of Kurenai-sensei's replacement six months ago, but I have as of yet to meet her as I've been going on Chuunin level missions with other Chuunin grouped together for that mission." He informs me.

"I've met her, but I don't know how to feel about her leading our team." I inform him.

"She is an ANBU, and one of the Fourth Hokage's best shinobi." He points out.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know." I mutter, and then the Aburame speaks up.

"Do you still carry romantic feelings for Naruto?" Shino asks, and I quickly duck my head.

"I do, but I don't know about him, I really haven't had a chance to talk to him alone."

"He has never forgotten you." He informs me in an even tone. "During our downtime between missions together he would often wonder what you were doing, or what kind of Jutsu your teachers would be teaching you. He has missed you, and has told me such multiple times during your time absent from the village."

I hear a rustling in the trees nearby, and both Shino and I look to see an orange and green blur emerge from the trees and land near the edge of the small clearing. The blur quickly materializes into Naruto's form and the blonde boy smiles at Shino and me.

"There you both are." He says to himself while he walks toward the two of us.

"You were searching for us my teammate?" Shino asks.

He nods once.

"Sakura and I finished our errand for Shizune-sensei, so I figured I'd find Hinata, since she just got back." He informs the two of us.

"I see." Shino says.

"I didn't think you'd find Hina-hime that quickly Shino…" Naruto trails off.

"My kikai informed me that a long missing member of one of my colonies came into proximity, and I deduced that Hinata had returned to the village."

"Oh." Naruto mutters and then his eyes go wide. "You mean you've had her bug tagged the whole time she was gone?"

"That's exactly how I reacted…" I mutter, and Shino appears to ignore my statement.

"I had the foresight to plant scent producing female kikai bugs on both of you when we were first assigned to a team together." Shino informs both of us. "Both of you have rather large supplies of chakra, and so neither of you of has noticed the relatively minor drain the kikai places on your chakra."

"Um, I've had one on me too?" Naruto asks, and Shino nods.

"I assure you, the kikai is one of the most sanitary and clean insects ever bred."

_Does he think that's some kind of consolation? _

"I didn't really mean it like that, but I'm not gonna think about it too much." Naruto says

Shino looks impassionate behind his sunglasses.

"As you wish." He says simply, and I get the feeling that Naruto may've offended our teammate.

"Um, how about we go grab a bite to eat?" I ask. "It's been so long since we've been together, it'll be good to catch up, and you both can tell me about everything that's happened since I left." I quickly offer.

Naruto smiles, but Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Unfortunately, I will have to decline." Shino says with his voice even. "My position within the clan dictates that I must attend weekly clan meetings that discuss the current state of the clan."

"You can't just blow that off for once?" Naruto asks. "Hina-hime just got back from the village after four years, and you're going to blow off having dinner with her?"

Shino nods once, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"If I do not attend this meeting, the clan elders will see fit to punish me." He informs us.

Naruto cracks a smile.

"You mean that if you don't show up, your dad will yell at you?" Naruto asks, and Shino removes his left hand from his pocket to push it up to the bridge of his nose before returning it to his pocket.

"Exactly." He confirms, the edges of his mouth curling upward in a smile. "I will see you both later." He says, and then disappears in a blur of motion, moving through the trees.

With Shino gone, Naruto and I are alone in the small clearing, and I have no idea what to say to him. I look into his eyes, and I can see that he too doesn't know what to say, the time we've been apart so long, it's like part of him doesn't know me anymore.

"Hey, you wanna go see Kurenai-sensei and her baby?" He asks. "She'd love to see you, and I haven't been to see her since the day she had the baby."

I smile at him.

"I'd like that."

He smiles and then takes off into the trees and I follow him. While the two of us move through the trees, the mantle flaps around my body. While we move I stare at his back, seeing the back of the Konoha ninja vest resting on his shoulders. His blonde hair flicks in the wind, and I smile seeing him land on a branch and push off, his muscular legs propelling him toward our destination.

_It's like a dream watching him, he still cares about me, though with all the time I've been gone, it's hard to tell if he still wants a relationship with me._

Naruto leads me to an upper scale neighborhood, and when he heads for the streets I grab the hood of the mantle and pull it up. By the time I hit the street the hood is up and concealing my face. I see him glance back at me, and he gives me a disapproving look, but I ignore it.

_I know that Naruto doesn't like the idea that I'm hiding my face, but I also know that he isn't going to reach up and pull the hood down._

He leads me into the apartment building, and we hit the steps. The two of us walk up two flights of steps, the cement stairs sounding hollowly against our feet.

"Kurenai-sensei has been on maternity leave for about six months now, and I haven't seen her in about three months."

"Who's the baby's father?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"The father, it's Asuma Sarutobi, Team 10's sensei." He explains.

I nod, remembering the tall Jounin who sat next to Kurenai during the Chuunin exams.

"Have they gotten married?" I ask, and he shakes his head no.

"They were both active shinobi until Kurenai-sensei went on maternity so they haven't had time."

He slips through the door from the stairwell and I follow. He leads me down the scarcely decorated apartment building hallway, and stops at one of many of the darkly stained wooden doors in the yellow hall. The door is marked 207, and Naruto raises his hand, gently knocking on the door. For a moment, there's nothing but silence, and then a familiar woman's voice comes through the door.

"Hold on just a moment, I'll be right there." Kurenai's voice whispers through the door.

For a moment Naruto and I stand in silence, and then the door opens, revealing Kurenai Yuuhi. Her appearance is relatively unchanged since the last time I saw her save for the fact that she still has a little baby weight yet to be lost.

Her red eyes brighten at the sight of Naruto, and she wraps her arms around her student.

"Naruto! It's been so long since you've come to visit!" She says, embracing her student, and Naruto returns the hug.

"I've been busy Kurenai-sensei, but this time I've brought someone special."

Naruto motions to me with his right hand, and Kurenai releases him from the embrace and then looks toward me. I pull the hood down, and she looks at me for a split second before recognition enters her eyes.

"HINATA!" She yells, and she scoops me up into her arms, lifting me into the air and holding me in a loving embrace. "It's been too long!"

I return the hug, and Kurenai-sensei lowers me to the ground, smiling as the two of us part.

"How have you been Hinata?" She asks, surprise and curiosity in her red eyes.

I smile at my childhood teacher.

"I've been good, and the training was hard, but I managed to get through it all."

She smiles, her hands resting on my shoulders.

"Have you been back long?" She asks, and I shake my head no.

"I just returned earlier today, it was Naruto who suggested that I come and see you."

Kurenai turns and looks at the blonde boy.

"You're a considerate boy Naruto." She points out. Then she steps back and motions for both of us to come into her apartment. "Would you both like to come in?" She asks.

Both Naruto and I nod, and together we walk into our teacher's modestly decorated apartment, and Kurenai closes the door behind us. Looking around her apartment, I find myself standing in a hallway with a sitting room area off to the right with a small sofa and a thirty inch TV sitting on a stand against one wall. The sitting area has two chairs that along with the sofa are centered around an oval darkly stained wooden coffee table. On the coffee table rests a seven inch high glass, halfway filled with what looks like orange juice. The walls are painted a soft white almost gray color, and the carpet is a thick magenta color. Off to the left is a modest kitchen, a small stove and a side by side refrigerator as well a microwave adorning it along with wooden cabinets that line the floor and ceiling. In the sitting room there are two doorways, both with closed doors, and I can only imagine they led to a bedroom and a bathroom.

_I wonder where the baby sleeps at night…_

"You'll have to excuse the mess." Kurenai comments and I glance around.

_The only thing out of place is that glass on the coffee table._

"I just put the baby down for a nap, and I just sat down to relax a minute when you knocked on the door." She informs us.

"Um, we can come back later if you like." I offer, but Kurenai shakes her head no, giving me a smile.

"I'm glad to see both of you." She says, and she motions toward the sitting area. "Both of you sit down, would you like anything to drink?" She asks.

"Um, a glass of water, if it isn't a burden." I respond, and Naruto nods.

"Me too, the run left me a little dry mouthed." He says, and Kurenai smiles, already starting into the kitchen.

"That's fine, both of you go ahead and sit, I'll join you in a moment."

With that she goes into the kitchen, and I turn my gaze to Naruto. He slips his hands into his pockets, and then shrugs his shoulders, his face gaining a look that says 'I don't know what to do' before he walks toward the sitting area. I follow him, and he takes a seat on one of the chairs, and I sit down on the sofa, near the edge closest to him, with the other chair on the opposite side of the table.

The sound of the refrigerator opening and closing pulls my attention toward the kitchen, and Kurenai emerges holding two glasses identical to the one on the table, three-quarters full of water. With a smile on her face Kurenai walks into the sitting area and hands a glass to Naruto and then one to me. I take the glass gingerly, not wanting to spill the contents.

"Thank you." I say before I take a drink from the glass.

"Ditto." Naruto says, flashing our childhood teacher a grin.

She keeps smiling while she sits down on the sofa next to me with roughly a foot separating us. She takes the half full glass or Orange Juice and takes it to her lips, swallowing a part of the liquid. For a moment all three of us drink, and I'm the first to set the glass down, a fraction missing from my glass. When Naruto sets his down, half of the water is gone, and he licks his lips, smiling appreciatively at Kurenai. She sets her glass down last, a small sigh of relaxation escaping her lips.

"It's been so long, you've really grown up Hinata." Kurenai observes. "I've seen Naruto grow into the fine young man he is, but I still imagined you'd look like you did when you left, but now…" She trails off.

"I really hadn't had time to think about much of anything, my body just grew on its own though I'm surprised I managed to get through the training in one piece."

_With no hideous scars, thank you very much._

For a second, I remember standing in a lingerie store with Tsunade, and a drooling Jiraiya lying on the ground with stars in his eyes, and more lumps on his head then badly made mashed potatoes.

I blink the memory away, suppressing a giggle at the memory.

_It'd make a good story you could tell to Minato and Kushina, they'd probably both get a kick out of what happened that day._

"Well, you're healthy and in one piece, that makes something doesn't it?" She asks.

I nod solemnly.

"Though, one of the reasons I'm here is because of the Kyuubi, if not for its healing powers, I'd still probably be out training…" I trail off, and a somber mood fills the room at the mention of the demon.

"You haven't had any more episodes with it, have you?" Kurenai asks.

Again another memory comes to mind, but this one is drastically different then the one before. This memory is me staring down a fifteen meter wide path of destruction carved through a forest while I stand in a thirty meter wide circle of wrecked trees and destroyed life…

I blink the memory away, shaking my head no.

"No, though Jiraiya sensei has taught me about controlling its power to a degree. I prefer not to rely on it."

Kurenai nods approvingly.

"That's good; the demon's strength isn't your strength Hinata." She tells me. "I'm glad to hear that you'd rather fight without it."

For a moment, a silence fills the air, and I glance to Naruto to see him sitting in the chair, his body slouching into it, a relaxed expression on his face.

_Guess he doesn't think this could get awkward._

"How about you, Kurenai-sensei, how have you been?" I ask, making conversation.

The woman smiles wearily.

"I've been doing the best I can." She trails off, her voice in a weary tone. "Asuma's been busy, though he does help out when he can, though he's been out on extended missions a lot, so he's hardly been here." She pauses. "Though, Shikamaru-chan has been by every once a week, like clockwork to come see little Norito."

"Norito?" I ask, and Kurenai nods.

"It's his name." She says with a smile.

"Oh." I mutter.

_She named him Prayer, that's a nice name._

"Um, not that it's any of business, but are you going to marry Asuma-sensei?" I ask curiously.

My childhood teacher closes her eyes and shakes her head, letting out a small sigh.

"Unfortunately, Asuma isn't the marriage type, though I think he'll propose someday soon. I just don't want my baby growing up without a father."

I nod my agreement, knowing first hand what it's like to grow up without a father, or a mother for that matter, only my grandmother.

"Well, Choji and Shikamaru both have nothing but praise for Asuma-sensei, both as a shinobi and a man." Naruto offers.

Kurenai opens her mouth to respond, but a knock at the door interrupts her before she can speak. She closes her mouth a second, and then opens it again.

"Can you both hold on a moment while I answer that?" She asks, and both Naruto and I nod.

Kurenai gets up off the sofa, and she walks around the table and past Naruto to the door. I glance to Naruto and I see him twiddle his thumbs, his eyes darting from side to side, nervousness settling into his gaze.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" I ask.

He lets out a sigh.

"I don't know what to say after you talked about the Kyuubi…" He admits in a whisper.

I mentally kick myself, hard.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have brought it up." I apologize.

The door to the hall opens, and both Naruto and I look to see a blonde haired woman wearing a purple sleeveless button up top with her mid section exposed. She wears a purple skirt at her waist with a pair of black tight shorts on her thighs. She wears a weapon pouch on her right leg. Her long blonde hair is tied into a single long pony tail that hangs down to her mid back, and she wears a section of fishnet covering on her knees and elbows along with the black sandals.

_Ino Yamanaka?_

Behind her a brown haired teenaged boy walks into the room. He wears black pants and a black shirt, his headband attached to his left sleeve with a green shinobi vest on his chest. He has his hair tied up on top of his head, with a weapon pouch on his right leg and a bored expression on his features.

_Shikamaru Nara?_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Living Life

(Well, here's 22. This one fought with me tooth and nail to remain undone, and a lot of stuff happened in my life that skewed me away from writing. However, I managed to get this done, and it's made it to FF. As always, reviews are welcome and appreciated, I do read them. Finally, I'm going to go on record again saying that I don't write 'lemon' chapters or stories. This is a Naru/Hina story, and they will be together in it, but I'm not going to detail their time being intimate with each other. If you want lemons, there are other stories you can read that go into great detail about that sort of thing, but personally I don't see the attraction. Look at me, I'm ranting AGAIN. Anyway, enjoy, leave your thoughts if you want. Oh, 1 More thing, Moonfire Fox drew some fan art for Hinata after the time skip, you can find it at Deviant Art, look up 'Rock Goth' as the artist or type in Chapter 21 as the title, you'll find it. As always, a big THANK YOU to Blinkin for betaing this and turning it around at his usual great speed.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 22: Living Life

Both the blonde girl and the raven haired boy stand in the living area, both of their faces hold an expression of surprise.

"Hinata-san?" Ino asks, glancing between me and Naruto.

I nod, smiling to both of them.

"Yes, it's me." I respond.

Shikamaru scoffs lightly.

"It's no surprise to see you with Naruto." Shikamaru comments and I force myself not to blush.

"It's been a long time you two." She says, and she looks between us for a moment before her eyes settle on me. "Have you scored with Naruto yet?" Ino asks while looking at me.

My face turns beet red, and out of the corner of my eye I notice that Naruto does so as well. The blonde boy looks down at the ground, and I mirror the motion. Shikamaru looks at his teammate with disdain in his eyes.

"Ino, it's troublesome if you ask questions like that!" He scolds her.

Ino sticks her tongue out jokingly at her teammate.

"I was just KIDDING!" Ino retorts, sucking her tongue in before she speaks. She lightly slaps Shikamaru on his right shoulder, more a love tap than an attempt to cause pain. "Besides, I wouldn't dirty your virgin ears with dirty talk."

"I don't have virgin…" Shikamaru begins when Kurenai walks into the room.

The woman carries a powerful presence and the four juniors in the room stop talking and look towards her.

"Keep it down please." Kurenai politely asks. "Or you'll wake Norito."

After that, Kurenai takes a seat in the sitting room and the five of us catch up after that. We talk about what we've done the last four years, though we don't speak about inappropriate things. Throughout it all, I notice that Kurenai smiles the entire time, enjoying this time spent with members of the next generation.

&

Several hours later, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino and I all leave Kurenai's apartment. We all say our goodbyes to Kurenai before we leave, and she hugs me the longest before the five of us walk away from the apartment building. The four of us walk down the apartment building steps and head away from the building. Once the four of us are in the cool night streets, we walk in a rough line. Ino walks on the end of the line, with Shikamaru on her right. Naruto walks next to Shikamaru, and I walk on the opposite end of our line as Ino.

"Isn't little Norito-tan so cute?" Ino asks in a cutesy tone.

"Jeez Ino, is that all you're going to talk about, it'll be so troublesome…" Shikamaru retorts.

A light seems to go off in Naruto's eyes.

"Hey, how about we all go grab a bite to eat?" Naruto suggests.

He looks to me, and I nod in approval. He looks toward Shikamaru and Ino, and both of them have an expression of wary caution on their features.

"Um, we wouldn't be intruding on you two, would we?" Ino asks before either of them agree or disagree.

"No, it's fine." He says, cracking a smile, and then turns his head toward me. "Right Hinata?"

I smile and happily nod.

"Of course!" I agree.

_I'm just glad that having other people around keeps his mind off the two of us being embarrassed about being intimate with each other._

"How about Morino's?" Ino suggests.

_Morino's, as in it's named after the head of the ANBU torture and interrogation squad?_

_The only reason I know the last name of the man is because when I was working to help sift through the wreckage of the village, I was sent to see him to talk to him about my grandmother's death, and the possible involvement my uncle could've had. Not that anything ever came from the sessions._

"Sure." Naruto agrees, and both Shikamaru and I nod.

Ino smiles happily.

"I heard they specialize in grilled food, one of those places where they actually cook it in front of you." She explains.

We walk through the streets, and I figure it's late enough that most people will be indoors, not out on business like during the middle of the day. That plus the fact that I've been gone for nearly four years must make it hard for the people to recognize me.

_I wonder how long that will last though. Soon the rumors of my being back will begin to spread, and before long people will be giving me the same old hate filled glares they gave me before I left. No matter how much I change, like Neji-nii-san I can never abolish the mark on me._

"Hinata, are you all right?" Naruto's concern laden voice enters my ears.

I blink and look around to see the three of them have formed a semi circle in front of me. Both Shikamaru and Ino wear curious concern on their faces, and Naruto wears an expression of deep concern.

"Um, I'm fine, I was just thinking about Kurenai-sensei and her situation with the baby." I quickly lie, and Naruto seems to buy it, as do Ino and Shikamaru.

"Oh, okay." Naruto says.

The four of us walk to the restaurant, and the server quickly seats the four of us at a table surrounding a large three foot wide grill. The hostess, dressed in a pink and white kimono motions for each of us to sit in four chairs next to each other, and I sit down next to Naruto on the end of the U shaped table. Shikamaru and Ino take the two farther seats, and the hostess sets the maroon colored menus down in front of us.

The menus have the name 'Morino's' appliquéd to the front and written in gold letters. The menus are held together with gold twine. The menus are hand written and obviously copies.

I open the menu and begin to peruse the contents, and Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino all mirror the motion.

_They seem to have a myriad of choices, not just local cuisine but other foods as well._

A dark haired, dark eyed woman wearing a knee high dark purple kimono approaches the table holding a small pad and a pen. She smiles at each of us, holding the pad up in front of her with the pen near the paper. Her skin is tanned, and she looks to be only a few years older than I am.

"Will any of you be ordering Sushi tonight?" The server asks.

Naruto and I shake our head no, and Shikamaru does so as well. Ino on the other hand…

"I'll have an order of Temaki please, with Maguro filling." Ino requests and I shudder at the thought of eating raw fish.

"Anything else?" The server asks

Shikamaru, Naruto and I all shake our heads no. The server nods once, writing down Ino's order on the pad.

"That'll be right out, and your server will be right with you." She says, and then turns and walks away with her pad in hand.

"Have you eaten here before?" Naruto asks, looking past Shikamaru to Ino.

The blonde girl shakes her head no.

"I've only heard about it through from people that come into the flower shop, I've never actually been here, though I've only heard good things about this place. It's owned by Ibiki Morino's wife, and Ibiki has been known to come out when a customer has a problem." Ino says with a grin.

Another blonde haired woman wearing a kimono identical to the one worn by the server that took the sushi orders approaches our table. The woman has blue eyes and a fair complexion, strikingly beautiful for a server working in a restaurant, and I'd say she's in her early twenties or late teen years. She has her hair tied up with two lacquered sticks holding it in a bun on top of her head.

"My name is Miyuki, and I'll be your server this evening." She introduces herself. "Can I start you all off with something to drink?" She asks.

Miyuki looks to me, and I quickly glance at the menu.

"Water please." I order.

"Chamomile Tea for me." Naruto orders.

"Lemonade, please." Ino asks.

"Water for me." Shikamaru says.

The server writes our orders down on her pad.

"All right then, if you wouldn't like any appetizers I'll be right back with your drinks."

She turns and walks away without a word from us. I turn my attention back to the menu and look over it, still undecided on what I want to order. I look over the menu, my eyes scanning the items offered by the restaurant.

The server walks back to our table with a tray with four glasses on it. The female server sets the tray down on the edge of the grill and sets our drinks out before each of us. She quickly picks the tray up and holds it under her arm, the tray sitting on one of the few cool areas of the grill. She reaches into the kimono and withdraws the pad with her pen attached to it. She takes the pen to the paper, looking to us.

"Do you four know what you'd like to order?"

We look to each other, and then back to the woman. We each submit our orders, and the four of us order something different from what the others order. The server diligently takes the order, writing it down with acquired speed before she bows to us once she's finished.

"Thank you very much; your cook will be out soon." She says.

She turns and walks away, leaving the four of us at the table while the grill warms up in preparation for the cook to arrive. With the server gone, Naruto takes his cup of tea to his lips, taking a sip from the tea before Ino speaks up.

"So, Naruto, when are you Hinata-chan going to hit the sheets?" Ino asks.

Naruto's cheeks turn red, and his tea flies from between his closed lips. The tea hits the hot stove and sizzles while it burns off. I force myself to swallow the mouthful of water.

"Ino, you can't ask questions like that, it's troublesome!" Shikamaru scolds her for the second time.

"Well, they already live together, isn't the next logical step that the two of them get married?"

"Um, dad is sheltering Hinata from her family, because her uncle has made an attempt on her life before." Naruto points out.

The blonde haired girl nods.

"I've heard the rumors before about the turmoil in the Hyuga clan following the death of Hibana Hyuga during the attack on the village." Ino explains.

Before I left, Ino talking about the darker aspects of my clan would've embarrassed me greatly. Plus, Naruto saying that his father is only sheltering me would've made me think that he really didn't feel anything for me.

_But I know better._

"I've already confessed my feelings for Naruto." I pipe up. "We're still dating right now, and right now neither of us is ready to take our relationship to that level." I rationalize.

"Yeah, what she said!" Naruto quickly agrees.

Disappointment settles on Ino's face.

"Now that's a shame, it feels really good." She mutters. "And I was hoping that I'd have some good gossip."

Shikamaru smacks himself in the forehead with a barely audible slap, the Nara boy shaking his head slowly in disgust.

"Can you please let the matter drop?" Shikamaru asks his teammate.

Ino nods once, a smile spreading on her face.

"Okay then…" She begins, looking toward me. "What about your rank?" She continues. "Is Hokage-dono going to make you a Chuunin since you were out training for the last four years?" Ino finishes.

"I don't think Minato-sama can just make me a Chuunin, and I'm still technically a genin since I didn't pass the Chuunin exams when the Sound and Sand Village's attacked during the final round." I explain.

"Well, everyone from our graduating class out of the academy has become at least Chuunin." She comments. "Though Naruto, Sasuke and Neji have advanced farther than that, though Naruto is only a Tokubetsu Jounin while Sasuke and Neji are both full Jounin. Though what else could be expected from two genius shinobi?"

Ino trails off, and for a moment the four of us are silent, until Shikamaru speaks up.

"Well, rank isn't everything." He points out. "I'm sure once you have a chance to take the Chuunin exams, you'll make Chuunin, no problem." He explains.

I smile at Shikamaru.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence." I respond.

"Well, how would that work?" Ino asks. "Is Hokage-dono going to assign her a new team just so she can take the Chuunin exams?" Ino asks.

Naruto shakes his head no, setting his glass down on the table.

"Dad isn't going to break up our team just so Hina-hime can take the Chuunin exams." Naruto says.

Ino sighs, shaking her head slowly.

"It must be nice to be on the same team as the person you love…" She says wistfully.

The cook rolls up with a metal cart full of food behind him, and the server quickly takes his place behind the grill. He sets up his food and goes over our orders before he starts cooking, making sure that we're all getting the proper food. We all agree that our orders are our orders, and the chef goes to work. The cook prepares our meals with practiced efficiency, and I'm glad for the distraction. The cook prepares each of our meals, and once he serves us, the four of us each in relative quiet. We're busy filling our mouths with the delicious food, and the chef leaves once his job is done, the four of us praising his work while we sampled it as he made the meals. With the cook gone, we each eat our meals. Once the four of us are done eating, Ino speaks up.

"Any of you guys going to get dessert?" She asks.

I shake my head no, the meal having filled me. Both Naruto and Shikamaru both decline the thought of eating anything more, and Ino shrugs dismissively.

"Well, I don't want to feel fat eating Ice Cream, so I guess I'll pass." She says.

The server brings the check shortly after that, and we split the bill four ways. Once the dinner is over, the four of us leave the restaurant and enter the streets. We walk as a group, With Naruto and Shikamaru on the outside of the group while Ino walks on my left, with Naruto on my right. The four of us walk slowly, making small talk and acting like four teenaged friends out on their own.

_If the times like these could only continue…_

&

It's been a few hours since Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino and me ate dinner at Morino's and began to walk around the village.

_We must've walked around the village four times now._

We stand on a small bridge overlooking a river that gently runs through Konoha. The bridge is in a small twelve foot diameter clearing with trees all around, creating a natural relaxing feel to the area. The sky is dark, and the sounds of crickets are one of the few sounds I can hear. I enjoy the serenity, and I stand near Naruto. Naruto leans on the railing of the foot bridge, looking up at the sky with his left elbow on the railing, his forearm pointed straight up with his hand holding his chin as he looks up. I look up with both of my arms resting on the railing, my hands laced together while I too enjoy the view of the stars. I glance to my left, and see both Ino and Shikamaru standing apart from each other, enough space between them to make it clear that neither of them wants to be close in a romantic situation like this.

Both Ino and Shikamaru have their backs to the railing. While Ino rests her arms on the railing, Shikamaru stands with his arms crossed in front of him. Both of them seem to be just relaxing when Ino pushes herself off the railing.

The Yamanaka girl yawns, stretching her arms over her head before she speaks.

"Well, it's late, and about time I headed home." Ino says, looking in the direction of her home.

Shikamaru stands up straight, uncrossing his arms.

"I'll walk you home." The Nara boy offers.

Ino nods and smiles at Shikamaru before she turns toward Naruto and me. She waves goodbye to both of us, and both Naruto and I return the wave before Ino turns and starts walking with Shikamaru next to her. I watch the two of them until they take a turn and disappear from my vision. I turn toward Naruto to see him lean away from the railing and stand up straight. He lets out a low yawn.

"We should head back too. We'll probably have a mission tomorrow." Naruto points out.

I nod, moving away from the railing and standing in the middle of the bridge.

"You're right." I agree.

He motions for me to start walking, and I smile at him, starting off the bridge with Naruto quickly moving up next to me. We walk nearly shoulder to shoulder as we head back toward the Hokage manor, and a thought occurs to me.

_Should I try and hold his hand, would he be embarrassed about a public display of affection with the demon container?_

I squelch the thought, putting it out of my mind.

_It's late, you're tired, he's tired, you both need to go home and get some sleep, end of subject._

We leave the small bridge and follow the path through the trees and into the village proper. Since it's so late, there's hardly any foot traffic in the village, which means that no one will be around to notice the son of the Hokage associating with a Hyuga girl who hasn't been seen in years.

We walk quietly for nearly fifteen minutes before I see someone in the distance, and I recognize the two figures ahead of me, in spite of the time that has passed, both of them haven't changed enough to throw my eyes.

Neji walks toward me, wearing white Hyuga robes and having grown his hair out to where it's almost as long as mine. He has a small bag on his back and his headband on his forehead. He walks with his deadly hands hidden by his sleeves, and a neutral air about him.

Next to him walks a young girl that I immediately recognize once I recognize Neji. The girl has long dark hair down to her shoulders, and she wears a dark blue sleeveless shirt and dark blue tight shorts that form to her legs and stop above the knee. She wears a purple belt around her waist, with a ninja headband tied so the headband hangs on the belt. Her head comes to about my chest, so she isn't much shorter than I am. Her clothing is obviously made for unhindered movement, and she has a weapon pouch on her left leg. Her skin is fair and unblemished, and her hair is parted so her unmarked forehead is clear for the entire world to see.

_Natsume, she's grown._

I move closer to Naruto, and I wrap my arms around his left arm, and I lower my eyes, trying to use my bangs to conceal my eyes and my face as I walk by. Neji and Natsume both nod respectfully to Naruto, a symbol of his status as the son of the village leader and not a word is spoken as the two of them walk by the two of us, and Naruto doesn't say a word, merely returning the nod to Neji and Natsume, as both are members of the Hyuga main house.

Once they pass, I breathe a sigh of relief, raising my gaze to see Naruto looking to me with questioning in his blue gaze.

_I hope they didn't recognize me, I don't know how they've changed in my time away, and I can't take the risk that Hizashi has brainwashed them or corrupted them somehow. _

I manage to go seven steps before Neji's voice fills my ears.

"Hinata-sama…?" He trails off, and I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up, the sudden realization that I've been caught.

Naruto stops, leaving me no choice but to do so as well. I stop and turn, revealing my face to the older boy and looking at him with a calm and even gaze. His eyes meet mine, and recognition fills his pupil-less eyes.

"It is you, Hinata-sama." He says with absolute confidence.

"Hinata-nee!" Natsume says with a smile of recognition.

I look at the younger girl to see her smiling and quickly covering the distance between us at a quick walk. She opens her arms and I lower my head to allow the girl to embrace me. She wraps her arms around me in a loving hug, and I try to return it as best I can, a smile coming to my features when the young Hyuga opens her arms and steps back, and air of happiness abounding from her.

"Hinata-nee, you've grown up!" She points out, and I nod, standing up straight.

"You've done some growing yourself." I retort with a smile. "It's been a long time Natsume, how have you and your brother been doing?" I ask.

Naruto doesn't say anything, keeping his eyes carefully neutral.

"Things have been really hectic with Hizashi-dono running the clan." Natsume informs me. "Neji-nii-san has been training me, teaching me the things you taught him before you left, and Hizashi-dono has been training me as well. I even managed to graduate the ninja academy a year early."

_She calls her father by his name rather than 'father' or 'dad?' What kind of individual makes his children refer to him like he's their master first before he's their parent?_

I look to Neji, who stands behind Natsume with his arms at his sides, a slight smile on his face.

"Neji, how have you been?" I ask. "I've heard you made Jounin."

He nods.

"Things have been going." He avoids responding directly. "Natsume, can I talk to Hinata-nee alone for a bit?" Neji asks.

Natsume nods, smiling at her older brother.

"Okay Neji-nii." She assents.

"Go on ahead Natsume; I'll catch up in a minute."

"I'll see you later, Hinata-nee, Namikaze-san." Natsume says, waving at both Naruto and I.

We both return the wave, and Natsume starts walking. Neji watches her walk, and waits until she's well out of earshot before he begins speaking in a low voice.

"Father has been spreading rumors of your demise." He says without preamble. "He's been attempting to cement our position as the new main family of the Hyuga clan, and the council has had him declared the new head of the clan, in name and right." He informs me.

I shake my head.

"He's the leader of the clan in name only, and his Hyuga clan will be a shadow of it's former self. He possesses none of the secrets which made the prior main house so feared, which I have now mastered."

He nods once.  
"I have worked with Natsume to teach her all I could of what you taught me before you left the village." He explains.

"Have you kept your promise?" I ask, and he nods again.

"I won't let father learn of your survival." He pledges to me. "I'll speak to Natsume as well, before she has a chance to speak about you to anyone."

He quickly bows toward me.

"I must be off; Father will be suspicious if Natsume and I return home late."

He quickly jogs off after his sister, and I wave to the young man. He returns the gesture, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

_At least he's still my ally, and Natsume hasn't been corrupted by that black hearted bastard._

"I take it that was Natsume?" Naruto asks for confirmation, and I nod.

"Yes, that was Natsume, she's Neji's younger sister and he loves her very much, though I haven't seen her since I left."

"You know, she isn't the only one who's changed since you left the village, we all have."

I nod solemnly.

"I know; I know…" I mutter, staring off after Neji for a moment.

"Come on, we should get home too, Dad will be furious if we're out late."

I just turn and start walking, and Naruto quickly falls in line next to me.

&

We arrive at the Hokage home without incident, and Naruto leads me to my room. We both stop at the door, and I feel my face flush for a moment as we both stand there in silence.

"Have a nice sleep." Naruto says, and I nod.

_I want to say I love him, tell him I wish I could sleep next to him…_

He moves forward and brings his lips to mine, and I feel his arms wrap around me and hold me. For a moment after our lips meet, I'm surprised, but I quickly relax and feel his tongue move into my mouth. For a long twenty seconds we kiss, and when we pull apart, I can still feel the heat coming from his body.

"I missed you while you were gone." He tells me.

I nod.

"I missed you too." I speak softly to him.

It's then that I remember something Jiraiya told me during my time away from the village. His words come to mind, but I don't dare speak them.

_If I really want Naruto to fall for me, I should take the lead and seduce and sleep with him. I know I lost my hymen during my training, so I don't know if it'll hurt if I do that with him…_

Naruto gains a look of self consciousness, and I snap out of my delirium. The boy quickly blushes.

"I've gotta get to bed." He quickly blurts out. "Good night!"

He takes off down the hall at a jog, and I sigh.

"Good night." I speak down the hall, seeing him open and go through his bedroom door before he closes it behind him.

I shake my head slowly, fighting the urge to hit my head against the doorframe in self recrimination.

_Stupid, how could I daydream like that? He probably thinks I'm scared of something like that, and tomorrow morning will be so awkward._

I look longingly at his door, and I silently move down the hall. I stop in front of his door, and I gingerly knock on the door. The gentle tap of my hand against the door is low enough that it shouldn't wake Minato or Kushina, and Naruto's door opens a few moments later, half of his face visible in the cracked door.

"Something wrong Hinata?" He asks.

I nod, my heart beginning to beat a thousand beats per minute in anticipation.

"Yes, there is." I tell him.

He pushes the door open, revealing to me that he's only wearing pants, his shirt and vest hanging on a nearby chair. He has a look of concern on his face, and I'm sure the expression will disappear in a moment.

I pounce on top of him, knocking him to the floor as gently as I can with a thud, and I press my body to him, bringing my lips to his. Like me earlier, he's surprised for about a second before he relaxes into the kiss, and I can feel something in his pants stiffen against my body.

I pull back and look into his eyes, seeing a mix of emotions in his eyes, confusion, anticipation, wonder…

"I just want you to know that I'm not afraid of things like this." I whisper to him. "Though, right now might not be a good time."

Footsteps echo down the hall, and I practically jump off of him while he scrambles against the carpet to get to his feet. By the time Kushina appears in the doorway wearing her pink pajamas, we're both three feet away from each other.

The woman wears her red hair tied up on top of her head, and an expression of un-amused recognition on her face.

"Okay you two, break it up." She says in a drone, and I nod.

I quickly say good night and leave Naruto's room. Kushina follows me down the hall to my room, and I hear Naruto close the door to his room. I glance over my shoulder to see Kushina looking at me with a tired expression in her eyes, and I quickly say a good night to her before I slip into my own room, closing the door behind me.

_That'll hopefully make things between Naruto and I better, but now Kushina and Minato are going to think we're doing things we aren't._

I sigh heavily, shaking my head slowly.

_May as well get to bed._

&

The next morning I awake to the sound of someone knocking on my bedroom door. I lay in the bed, dressed in pajamas I found hanging in the bedroom's closet. The pajamas are a light blue color, and made of a soft silk long sleeve blouse and matching pants. I sit up, the blankets of the bed sliding against the pajamas.

"I'm awake." I speak loudly.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, Hina-hime." Naruto's voice informs me through the door.

"I'll be down soon." I respond, and he speaks an affirmative through the door.

I hear footsteps recede, and I throw the covers off after the footsteps fade away. I get out of bed and move to the attached bathroom connected to the bedroom. I shuck the pajamas and shower quickly, cleaning my body off before I dry off and get dressed, dawning a clean set of my 'normal' clothes that I returned to the village in. Once I'm dressed I run a brush through my hair and make sure I'm presentable before I leave my bedroom.

I leave the bedroom and move through the Hokage home toward the dining room. I move at a clipped pace toward the dining room. I enter the dining room and see Minato sitting at the table, while Naruto and Kushina move about the kitchen.

"Oh, Hina-hime, take a seat." Naruto offers to me. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

I nod and take a seat across the table from Minato, who wears a smile on his features. I glance into the kitchen, and I take a long look at Naruto's mother.

_The time hasn't changed her that much; she's taking care of herself so she doesn't look any older, like Kurenai-sensei._

"Naru-chan has been working all morning to make a breakfast for the woman of his dreams." Kushina says in a cutesy tone.

Naruto blushes in embarrassment, and I mirror the expression.

The Hokage sits back in his chair, reaching behind his head and interlacing his fingers, as though he were leaning against his hands.

"It's good to see four smiling faces in the morning." He comments, and I nod my agreement.

"It's good to be back." I add.

With that, Naruto and Kushina go about serving the meal, and the entire time I smile, feeling relaxed and without a care in the world. The food is good, and is more of Kushina's Whirlpool cooking that I've never tried before, though I never caught the name.

_This is what I left the village for. This is why I trained so hard for so long, so I could become strong enough that I can enjoy these peaceful times with the people I care about._

The meal is quickly decimated, and Minato stands up.

"You both cooked, so I'll clean." He offers, and then turns his head toward me. "Hinata, you should relax a bit, we're still going over all the recent information we've gotten about Akatsuki, and I don't want to send anyone on a wild goose chase."

With that the Hokage leaves the table and walks into the kitchen, leaving Naruto, myself and Kushina together at the dining table.

"It's a shame you have to be involved in all of that crap." Kushina comments solemnly.

I nod.

"It's my burden to bear, but I will put an end to it all, and when I do, I'll be able to live peacefully, without the worry."

"You know Shino and I are here to help you anyway we can." Naruto reminds me, and I smile at him.

"Yes, I know." I assuage my crush.

&

After the breakfast, Kushina suggests that Naruto and I take a stroll around the village, to reacquaint me with the village as well as give us a chance to spend some time together alone. So after both of us change clothes we left the Hokage manor and started walking without any real direction. I put the mantle on shortly after I left the house, and it's obvious that Naruto doesn't like me wearing it while I walk next to him. It's been almost two hours since we left the manor, and I've taken in much of the village, and I've learned that a lot of it hasn't changed.

"Do you have to wear that thing?" He asks in annoyance.

I nod beneath the hood.

"If I don't wear this, then people will recognize me and word will spread that I'm back in the village." I explain to him.

He scoffs.

"You shouldn't have to hide your face, and seeing you wear it is a constant reminder of how many bigots and idiots live in our village."

I open my mouth to speak, but then a Jounin appears near us, the man carrying a serious expression on his face.

"Hokage-dono wishes to see both of you, immediately." The Jounin says, and both Naruto and I look at each other.

We nod to each other, and then the messenger disappears, the two of us close behind.

_What now? I haven't been back three days yet and I'm already being tapped. I thought I had a few days to get re-accustomed to everything._

&

Both Naruto and I follow the messenger to the Hokage's tower. I keep the mantle on but allow the hood to fall because the three of us move along the treetops and out of sight of the normal citizens. Once at the tower the two of us move through it, heading toward the Hokage's office. The door to his office stands cracked open and the two Chuunin guards are still stone faced, though I can hear voices from inside, talking to one another. Naruto is the first to enter the room, and I'm close behind him. I close the door behind me, and I look around the office to see both Shino and Haruka are already standing in the office, the latter wearing her ANBU gear sans the mask.

"Ah, Hinata-chan, Naruto." Minato says in greeting. "Now that you're all here, I'll get straight to the point." He begins. "We've received reports that the Akatsuki has begun to move, and I'm concerned that Konoha will be their next target."

Naruto gains a questioning expression.

"Why would they come here?" Naruto asks curiously, and I speak before the Hokage can answer his progeny.

"I'm the only Jinchuriki that they haven't captured yet." I speak up. "Therefore, they'll be coming here for me."

Naruto nods once, and though he understands I can tell the boy doesn't like it at all.

"You four are going on a stealth mission." He begins. "We know the Akatsuki hunt in teams of two, so we can safely assume they'll send two of their members here to Konoha to try and lay claim to Hinata. Your mission will be to locate the two Akatsuki members, and if they are headed for Konoha, you're to stop them before they can come here and harm any civilians."

"Is such a move wise?" Shino asks. "Sending Hinata out to them is like sending a lamb to slaughter."

The Hokage cracks a smile.

"Both Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama have reported to me on the results of their training with Hinata-chan, and I'm confident that the two Akatsuki members won't be able to take her through sheer force." He compliments me.

I feel myself blush when both Naruto and Shino look toward me. Naruto has a look of astonishment while Shino looks mildly curious. Haruka has her gaze locked on the Hokage and is doing her best impersonation of a statue.

"The four of you should get ready to go immediately." Minato informs us all.

The four of us assent our understanding, and like that, we all leave the office.

&

Thirty minutes later the four of us meet up at the front of the Hokage's tower, my hood pulled up over my head, concealing my identity while Haruka quickly takes charge. The Uchiha woman doesn't seem to care that I'm keeping my face hidden, or she knows the reason I'm doing it.

"I have the last known location of the two Akatsuki on their way here." Haruka explains. "We'll move in that general direction and use our respective skills to sweep for and search out the threat, and eliminate it if we find it." She says. "Any questions?"

Silence all around, the Uchiha ANBU nods.

"All right then." She says. "Let's go!"

With that, the four of us take off into the air into the trees. We move like wraiths from tree branch to tree branch.

_This is what I spent all that time training for. We're going to make the world a better, safer place with less dangerous criminal shinobi in it._

We move at an ANBU place, the four of us hardly making a sound while we leap from branch to branch. Ahead of me, Haruka sets our pace, a contrast to her years.

_She moves like someone half her age. I wonder if it's because she's an Uchiha, or because she keeps herself in shape with a training regimen like Jiraiya and Tsunade. It seems like everyone around me wants to defy their years and remain younger longer, like they don't want to hand the reins to the next generation with the world in the state it's in._

I glance to my teammates and both Naruto and Shino are alert and ready, their faces set in grim expressions. The veins around my eyes bulge while I activate my Byakugan, and I steel my own resolve, telling myself I'm ready for what's ahead.

&

Three hours after we leave the village, Haruka calls for a stop. The four of us stop on our respective branches, and the three of us carry guarded curiosity in our eyes as to why the ANBU called for a stop.

Haruka makes a hand signal, asking for me to check the area using my kekkei genkai. I look through my Byakugan, going to the end of range and scanning around us in a circle. I don't detect anything out of the ordinary, and Haruka looks over her shoulder at me, her eyes showing her kekkei genkai as well, her features as hard as steel.

I make the signal for all clear, and Haruka breathes a sigh of relief, and both Naruto and Shino slump their shoulders slightly.

"What's wrong Haruka-taicho?" Naruto asks. "Did you detect something?"

The ANBU Uchiha shakes her head no.

"No, in fact I was looking for a clear area that we could use." She informs us all.

_A clear area, what would she need that for?_

"May I inquire as to the purpose of this delay Haruka-taicho?" Shino asks, pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

She turns her gaze toward him, her face neutral.

"It's been nearly four years since the three of you have been in an operational situation together." She reminds us. "I can't risk this team failing our mission because you three forgot how to work as a team, so I'm going to give you three a quick teamwork exercise to get you back into sync with each other."

"What kind of exercise?" Naruto asks.

The woman makes the sign of the ram, and two shadow clones of her pop into existence. The two shadow clones are positioned so that the real Haruka and the two clones stand in a triangular shape around the three of us.

"Taicho, what are you doing?" I ask.

With only a smile as warning, Haruka's hands and the hands of her clones clap together, making hand signs at such speed that I only see a blur, and then the three of them hold out their right hands, palms open with their fingers curled. Water begins to condensate between Naruto, Shino and I, and before I can warn my teammates, water fills the air, the chakra condensed water reaching out to the three of us and pulling us closer, the water pushing us to the point where we're back to back, in a triangular formation.

"That is a modified water prison technique." Haruka explains. "The water is so dense that you won't be able to move on your own, and the Aburame kikai will be crushed if they try and move through it. The only chance you three have is to work together to figure out how to break the prison with your own talents. You should be able to breathe the water for a while, though I'm afraid this can't go on for more than thirty minutes. If you don't have a way figured out of their by then, I'll be forced to cancel this mission and take us all back to the village."

I glance to my teammates, looking left to Shino, and right to Naruto, and in both of their faces I see the same expression.

None of us want that to happen.

"What do we do?" I try speaking, and I find that the water is breathable, though it feels incredibly weird.

"I can't move." Naruto mutters and his body squirms in the prison's embrace.

"Neither can I." Shino points out.

_I could get us out of here alone, but it wouldn't solve the problem like we're supposed to._

"I can't move either." I remind them, and both of them start to think.

"This is nothing but a water technique, there has to be some way to stop it." Naruto points out.

Shino nods solemnly.

"We need only think about our situation, and an answer will come to us." He reminds us. "We are all trained shinobi of the leaf; this problem is not beyond us."

Naruto nods and I do so as well.

_This is the first time he's ever given a pep talk._

"Well, does anyone have an idea?" I ask.

"Hinata, Haruka said the water binding us is chakra condensed, is that true?"

I nod again.

"Yes, her chakra is flowing through the orb similarly to the water prison technique used by shinobi of the Hidden Mist."

"Can you see which direction the chakra flows?" He asks.

"Yes." I respond, pausing for a moment.

With the Byakugan, it's as clear as day to me that Haruka's chakra flows around the sphere in a clockwise fashion, as though the water were on a rotation similar to how the Earth rotates around the sun.

"Her chakra is moving clockwise around us, remaining parallel to the ground."

"Understood." He responds, and then turns to Naruto. "Naruto, can you try reducing the weight in your restraints and then moving as quickly as you can, and Hinata, observe the chakra flow and tell me if anything changes when Naruto attempts to move."

"I hear you." I respond with a nod.

"Whatever you're cooking up Shino, I only hope it works." Naruto comments to our teammate.

I notice the chakra in the restraint's metal slugs vanish, and Naruto flails his body. In response to the movement, the chakra flowing around the dome changes direction and concentrates, reinforcing Naruto's section of the dome, causing it to clamp down tighter on him while he tries to break free.

"Crap, I can't get anywhere!" Naruto growls frustration.

Shino turns his head toward me.

"Hinata, did you notice anything?" Shino asks.

I nod an affirmative.

"When Naruto tried to move, the chakra in the dome concentrated, reinforcing his area of the dome to restrict his movement."

"I see." Shino mutters; and I don't need the Byakugan to see the wheels turning in his mind.

After a long pause, the Aburame speaks again.

"Naruto, do you think you can try moving one more time, on my command?"

"Yeah, though I don't know what good it'll do." Naruto agrees.

"Very well." He pauses, turning his head toward me. "Hinata, when you see the chakra begin to move to restrain Naruto, can you release a concentrated burst of chakra in all directions? I believe that would be sufficient to break the technique, as your chakra would disrupt the chakra holding the prison in shape."

"I'm with you." I inform him, and Shino nods in understanding.

I begin to concentrate, building up chakra and preparing to release it from my body in a concentrated burst, similar to the Rotation defensive technique.

"Are you both ready?" Shino asks after a pause.

Both Naruto and I nod.

"On my mark…" He pauses. "Mark!"

Naruto springs, trying to flail his arms and legs, to kick and punch the water around him. The chakra surrounding us changes, moving to reinforce his section, and at that moment I release the burst of chakra Shino called for from every point in my body. A red blue flash of light flares from my body, and the water surrounding us wobbles, losing coherency for a moment and then losing all shape whatsoever. The water falls, and without the prison to hold us, Naruto, Shino and I all plummet through the tree branches to the forest floor below.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yells out.

I hear multiple loud pops, and I look down to see a net of twenty shadow clones appear below us, the shadow clones holding each other with white knuckle grips by the ankles, forming a net in the large space below us, their feet attached to the tree branches with chakra. The real Naruto, Shino and me hit the crisscrossed set of Narutos half a second after the water, and the clones bend, but they hold together. I look to Naruto to see him lying on his back, Shino and I in similar positions while the clones keep us from plummeting to the forest below.

"Good job, all of you." I hear Haruka's voice.

The three of us look up to see the ANBU standing on a tree branch, looking down at us with her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk on her features.

"You all pass." She says with a sly smile.

&

An hour and a half later, after we all have a chance to dry off and recover some of our lost energy, I lean against a tree, kneeling on a branch while I look off into the distance through my kekkei genkai. A wireless radio rests in my ear, my only link to my team.

"Report Hinata." Haruka's voice whispers in through the speaker in my ear.

I switch the microphone on and look through my Byakugan, seeing the two targets ahead, moving at a steady walk. I keep my voice low, and speak toward the microphone.

"The targets have maintained speed and direction, and don't appear to realize that they're being shadowed." I report to my team leader.

"Affirmative, we're almost ready, out." Haruka responds into my earpiece, and then the channel goes dead.

I nod to myself, switching off the microphone and returning my attention to the two Akatsuki members fifteen meters ahead of my position. I recognize both of them, the tall fish man and the rogue Uchiha who attempted to kidnap me before I left the village with Tsunade and Jiraiya.

I spotted the two Akatsuki members twenty minutes ago at the edge of my range, and since then Haruka has developed a trap to take both rogue shinobi down before they know what hit them.

_My part in the plan is to work with Shino and take on the rogue mist ninja Kisame Hoshigaki and neutralize him through any means necessary. Haruka and Naruto will do battle with Itachi, with Haruka pitting her Sharingan against his while Naruto waits for the opportune moment to strike and lay the former Konoha ninja out. It's risky, but we have to try and stop them. If the two of them get to the village, they could cause numerous casualties or threaten to destroy Konoha to get me to come with them, just like they did in the Sand._

Haruka detailed the Akatsuki attack on the sand village before we left Konoha proper, and has briefed all of us on the tactics the two Akatsuki used there. While the operation cost Akatsuki two of its members, the rogue shinobi organization still succeeded in their overall objective, the capture of the Ichibi. She also briefed us on the Hachibi loss from the land of lightning, about the mysterious man with silver eyes that defeated the Jinchuriki in one on one combat, even though the Jinchuriki transformed into the demon inside him.

_Whoever did that, I don't know, and I can't fathom how he managed to do it. What I can say is that we've run into these two before, and at least we somewhat know what we're going up against with them. I'd be a lot more worried if we were fighting two Akatsuki that I've never met before._

The earpiece crackles with static, and my mind clears a moment before Haruka's voice enters my ear.

"Proceed in Three…Two…One…NOW!" Her voice comes from the earpiece.

The trap is sprung, and I cover the fifteen meters between my concealed position and the two Akatsuki members in moments. The four of us emerge from concealment at the same time, and I go after Kisame. The fish man only smiles, and Itachi spins around, a large amount of chakra concentrating inside his body.

"Get back!" Haruka and I yell in unison, a warning to our other teammates.

Black flame erupts around the two Akatsuki in a circle ten feet out from their current position. The four of us put distance between us and the flames, and I recognize the black flame technique from years before.

_Guess you can't teach old shinobi new tricks huh?_

The four of us regroup together, the element of surprise lost, but the numerical superiority is still ours.

Itachi glares at the four of us, his eyes resting on Haruka last.

"It's been a long time." He mutters from behind the black flames.

"Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, you both are under arrest for crimes against the Land of Fire!" Haruka boldly declares.

The fish man scoffs at my team leader.

"You can try and arrest us." He says with a smirk on his face.

"Remember Kisame, we need Hinata alive, don't kill her." Itachi reminds his partner.

The fish man smiles, a sadistic eagerness appearing in his eyes.

"What about the others?"

"They're expendable."

Kisame seems to grin, and the four of us assume fighting stances, Haruka ahead of the three of us.

"Stick to the plan." She says, her only order.

"Kisame has an inordinate amount of chakra, it could take a while." I whisper to my captain, who only nods.

"Be on guard for genjutsu, and don't look into Itachi's eyes." She warns all of us.

For a moment, the tension in the air is palpable, Kisame's bloodlust flowing out of him in waves while Itachi stands emotionless. For a heartbeat the only sound that can be heard is crackling of the black flames that surround the two Akatsuki members. Then, both of them leap to the side, over the meter high ring of black flame and both of them land on their feet. They charge forward, and the four of us shift our formation, ready to put our plan into motion.

_All right, here we go…_


	23. Chapter 23

(Well, this is 23, my Beta had some good things to say about it so I hope you all will too. A good bit happens in this, and i actually changed this around and moved some events around after I had already written the outline and went and changed it. Anyway, I'm kinda ranting. Reasons for the delay are as follows: Resistance 2, my job, and life in general, so enjoy the chapter, the next one is in the works, it'll be done when it's done.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 23: Secrets

Shino and I pair up, the two of us moving toward Kisame. Both Naruto and Haruka move toward Itachi, taking advantage of our superior numbers to put the two Akatsuki members on the defensive. I run toward Kisame, my Byakugan activated and showing me the enormous amount of chakra contained inside his body. The man grabs for his weapon, ready to cleave me in half with it. I throw a gentle fist blow at him, and he brings his sword between my palm and his body. My hand strikes the sword, and for a moment the two of us push against each other.

"I'm so happy…" He mutters with a sadistic tone. "I get to lop off your legs and take you back." He finishes with a smile.

I keep my face cold and unemotional.

"You can try." I taunt him.

I pull my hand back and jump backward as he swings the blade, and I can feel a part of my chakra gone.

_The sword sucked it out of my body like a sponge soaking up water._

He swings the blade in a horizontal slash, and my backward motion puts me just outside the tip of the blade as it passes in front of me. I land on my feet and assume a gentle fist stance, glaring the man down with my activated Byakugan. He charges me, raising the blade and bringing it down toward me, meaning to split me in half. I bring my palms to bear on the side of the weapon and grab the sword, funneling chakra into my arms. The second my hands clasp the blade I feel it begin to suck the chakra from my arms, and for once I'm glad that I've got the demon and all it's chakra locked inside of me, as it buys me the scant few seconds I need to shift the blade to my left, and I push the sword into the ground as I release it. The force causes the weapon to drop into the ground, and I jump forward, putting me within arms reach of the Akatsuki swordsman. I drive my palms into his chest three times, blows that should kill a normal man, but inside of him his chakra dilutes the chakra in my strikes, effectively reducing the damage of my attacks to almost nil. His muscles flex, ready to pull the sword back and use it when jump back, curling into a ball while the blade passes underneath me. I spin backward in the air, landing on my feet with one hand on the ground. I skid three feet backward and come to a stop, reassuming a neutral gentle fist stance.

A sadistic smile spreads across Kisame's features.

"You're an acrobatic little brat, you know that?" He asks, hefting the sword onto his left shoulder as he stares me down.

Above Kisame, Shino appears, his arms raised above his head ready to drop and deliver an overhead double hand smash when Kisame turns and drives his sword into Shino's right ribs. I keep my mouth shut, as the kikai-clone loses its outer shape and hundreds of the chakra consuming insects pour onto the blade and begin to crawl down it even while Kisame follows through with his swing. Those kikai that don't get on the sword fly toward Kisame, eagerly looking to consume the man's abnormal supply of chakra.

Immediately he brings the sword around, flailing with it, trying to both remove the crawling kikai and to hit the kikai that fly toward him. His efforts meet with little success as the bugs continue down the blade and those that are swatted aside only move around to approach him from behind.

"Ninja Art: Bloodless Loss." Shino's voice whispers into my ears.

The kikai that still reside on the blade leap toward him, and those that are in the air converge on him in a giant mass. I watch while his body is nearly covered in the black mass of insects, the bugs feasting on his chakra like there's no tomorrow. The man drops the sword and puts his hands together, and chakra begins to concentrate in his body.

"Shino, call them back!" I yell out.

The bugs begin to leave Kisame's body, called back by their master, but not all of them before water floods out of Kisame's mouth and cover his entire body in a flood of liquid that washes all the insects away from him. The kikai still on him fall away soaked and unable to fly, or simply drowned by the deluge of water.

_I have to act now._

The man stands there for a moment catching his breath. I'm next to him before he can recover. I strike twice, one palm thrust against his left ribs and the second against his heart.

_The second blow alone would kill any other man._

He scoops the sword up and swings it, aiming for my head and looking to lop it off. I arch my back backward, leaning back and forming an arch with my body. His sword passes over me, and I concentrate chakra on my hands, steadying them before I go into a handstand. I move forward and start kicking, using my Byakugan to guide my blows while I attack the overextended man. I aim for his head, but he moves it left and right, avoiding my blue-red glowing feet for a few seconds. He swings the sword in a backhand motion near the ground, and with my still retracted right leg I change my target, striking him in the shoulder I glue my foot to his body and let go of the ground, keeping my leg straight and using it like a wall. I quickly apply my other foot, and he wonders for a half second what I'm doing before I bend backward, using the weight in my restraints to pull the man off his feet and hurl him. I release my hold on him at the apex of my throw and hurl him toward Shino. The Aburame moves out of hiding, and I land on my hands and knees, barely able to watch as the Aburame raises his arms. Kikai spew from Shino's sleeves, forming a cloud around him that thrums with an insect-tile thrum. The mass of bugs conceals him, and Kisame thrusts his sword into the ground, attempting to use it as a break, but his actions are too little, too late. The mist shinobi impacts the cloud of kikai. Kisame screams in anger as the mass of bugs crawl all over him, and Shino slips out of the trees and stops next to me. He slips his hands into his pockets.

"My allies will drain as much chakra from as possible; your sparring with him was a most effective distraction."

"I hope you used your whole swarm, he's got even more chakra than Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sensei."

He seems to start in surprise at this, and he removes his hands from his pockets to release more kikai when my teammate's hands flinch. He reaches out and grasps my right arm, and he pulls me to the side a moment before Kisame's voice booms from underneath the swarm.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave!" He yells out.

Water erupts from the man's mouth. The swarm of kikai washes away from the man, and Shino and I leap for the trees. The two of us land in the trees and I watch as the soaked swarm of kikai fall harmlessly away from the Akatsuki swordsman.

"Damn." I say to myself.

I can't count the number of kikai that flow away from Kisame. From beneath the water the tip of the strange sword breaks the surface, followed shortly by the man wielding it as he crawls out from under the water. He stands up straight, and Itachi appears next to him in a blur of motion.

_Body flicker._

Itachi glances toward Kisame, and then returns his eyes to Naruto and Haruka, who reside in trees thirty meters to my left.

_They must've retreated to the trees to avoid being caught up in the small flood._

"You're hurt." Itachi says to Kisame, who keeps his face even.

"That fox bitch landed a few of those 'Gentle' blows you warned me about." He affirms for his partner.

"I told you not to underestimate her." Itachi reminds him. "During her time away, she was no doubt training with both Jiraiya and Tsunade."

"I know that Itachi, it won't happen again."

Itachi turns toward him, a neutral expression on the man's face.

"You're right, it won't." Itachi speaks in an even tone.

Itachi's Sharingan changes, morphing into something else entirely, and a half second later black fire springs into existence. The black flame covers the entire man's body, and in seconds consumes him, destroying his body and the strange sword he carried. For a second I kneel on the tree branch shocked into inaction. Naruto, Haruka, Shino and I watch as the water beneath Itachi's feet drains away and is absorbed into the ground. After the water is absorbed into the ground, Itachi looks up at me, locking his eyes with me, and for a split second I try to look away, knowing that he can cast a genjutsu by looking at someone. I feel the undeniable urge to jump from the tree, and I do so, slipping off the branch and landing on the ground with barely an audible thud.

"Hinata?" Shino's voice asks from the branch above.

I don't respond to Shino, and I start walking toward Itachi. The Akatsuki keeps his expression even as I approach, and I feel my heart begin to beat faster and faster with each step taken toward him.

_He's gotten me locked into a genjutsu. I have to break his hold somehow. I have to disrupt my chakra flow and break his hold, but it'll take moments for me to disrupt my flow, and I'll be in his arms by then._

"Hinata!" Naruto yells out.

When I close to within arms reach of Itachi, the ground beneath my feet begins to give away. I feel my body begin to plummet down, and the warmth of a person's hand as my arms fly up into the air. I glance up to see Naruto leap down after me, and I look down into the darkness below, and I feel my strength leave from me as a paralysis jutsu takes hold, and consciousness slips away from me.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I open my eyes to the smell of stale air. The light is dim, as though it was flickering from a candle. I find myself lying on a rock at an angle, and I look to my right to see Naruto lying on a rock next to me. He's unconscious, and appears unharmed.

_Thank goodness he's all right, but where are we?_

I sit up and find that I'm in a cave, presumably underground. In front of me a small candle flickers, and Itachi Uchiha stands behind the candle between me and the long hall that slopes up, presumably toward the surface. Seeing me stir, he looks up, his deep black eyes showing seemingly infinite sadness in the candle light.

I jump to my feet and drop into a fighting stance, but the Uchiha just stands there. With not an ounce of bloodlust coming from him, I stand up straight and look at him cautiously.

_The last I remember he wanted to capture me and bring me back to his organization so he can kill me._

Looking at Itachi, I can see sorrow and pain in his eyes. I open my mouth to ask him just what's going on, when suddenly he doubles over. He grasps his stomach with his left hand and coughs, placing his right hand over his mouth. Blood seeps through his fingers. For a full minute the man kneels there, coughing as blood seeps through his fingers and then drips onto the floor. After nearly a full minute he stands up straight, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He winces in pain once he's fully erect, and I remember fighting him before, seeing the inside of lungs filled with a cancerous looking growth.

"How are you even able to stand up when you're coughing up blood like that? You're sick, even I know it." I ask him.

He sighs, moving his hair aside before he looks me in the eyes.

"You must have a million questions, but unfortunately I don't have the time to answer all of them."

"Why did you bring Naruto and me down here? And why did you kill your partner like you did?"

"I only meant to bring you, the Namikaze boy coming was an accident that I could not prevent." He responds. "I have information for you, a story that I must pass on before I pass from this world." He finally finishes.

"What story?" I ask, and he sighs heavily.

"The story of my accursed life, a story that begins on that ill fated night the Kyuubi attacked sixteen years ago." He says. "That night, the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked the village; it was a natural disaster of epic proportions that caused the demon to be sealed into your body." He continues. "Afterward, the village elders believed the Uchiha clan was responsible, as they knew that the Uchiha clan with an evolved Sharingan can manipulate the Kyuubi."

_What?_

"I didn't know that." I respond, and he nods.

"It's a little known fact, and very few people in the world are left that know." He explains to me. "The council began to distrust the Uchiha and eventually distanced the clan from the village, and because of that the Uchiha began to plan a coup de tat where they would overthrow the Hokage take over the village." He continues. "And I acted as the Hokage's informant within the Uchiha, working as a double agent I reported back to him on everything the clan was doing during my supposed 'missions.' It was after the council learned everything that the Hokage ordered me to slaughter every one of my family members and everyone with the name Uchiha. I pleaded with them to let me spare Sasuke, he was innocent in the whole thing, and he is my little brother, I couldn't intentionally hurt him." He pauses a moment, taking a breath. "I wanted Sasuke to grow up to kill me, because in doing so it would make him a hero in the village for killing his criminal older brother, but I'm afraid that just wasn't meant to be." He finishes.

_My word, he's spent the last decade living a lie, on orders from the Hokage all to protect the village. Would __**I**__ be willing to go as far as he's gone to protect the village? Would I willingly sacrifice Neji, Natsume, and Naruto all just to protect the people of a village that has shunned me for the majority of my life?_

For a long moment I think about that question, would I be willing to go as far as Itachi to protect the village? To willingly sacrifice everyone I care about to protect the people of the village?

I shake my head no, that single truth resonating clearly in my mind.

_No, I wouldn't be willing to go as far as he did. There's no way I'd do what he's done._

"I'm dying…" He begins again. "I'm dying and I don't want my life to be a waste, which is why I want you to deliver my eyes to Sasuke."

"Your eyes?" I ask with confusion in my voice.

"Yes, you see, when an Uchiha awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan, it slowly degrades their eyesight every time they use it." He begins. "The only way to permanently regain our eyesight is to take the eyes of another Uchiha and transplant them into our own eye sockets."

I shake my head slowly.

_That's so morbid._

"That's why I want you tell Sasuke about everything I've told you, so I can at least bring light forever into my little brother's world." He continues. "That way I will become an unbeatable sword that protects the one thing precious to me in life and allows Sasuke to cut his own path."

"I won't kill you, not knowing what I know now." I inform him.

He shakes his head no.

"I'm not going to stain your hands with my blood." He assuages me. "I just want you to harvest my eyes after I take my own life." He says, removing two small glass containers from his cloak. "These jars will preserve my eyes until you can give them to Sasuke."

"I can't bring myself to harm you." I tell him. "I can't violate your body by ripping your eyes out of your sockets."

He looks at me, and I can see the sheer desperation in his gaze.

"Please…" He pleads with me. "Don't deny me my last wish."

_He really wants me to do this. But why me, why did he choose me to perform this gruesome task, when he could've asked anyone else to do it?_

I let out a long sigh.

"Fine, I'll do as you ask." I assent, and he smiles.

_He's smiling, he can actually smile?_

Setting the two jars down on the ground away from him, Itachi stands up straight. He removes a kunai knife from his weapon pouch and holds the knife in a reverse grip. He raises the knife to his throat, and in a simple motion he takes the knife and stabs it into his throat. He pulls the blade through with a wet gurgle coming from his mouth, and then consciousness leeches from his eyes. He falls to the floor with a thud, and blood begins to seep out from his neck. I move quickly, picking up the two jars, I pop the seals on the jars. Setting them next to his body, I gently roll Itachi over and lay him on his back. I concentrate chakra on my fingers, my pointer, middle and thumb on my right hand glow with a red blue glow, and I use my fingers to remove his eyes, dropping one into each container with a light plop. Once the eyes are in their containers, I quickly cap the containers and seal them. Using Itachi's cloak, I wipe his blood from the containers and my fingers.

Naruto begins to stir, the boy letting out a low moan, and his once prone body begins to move. His legs slide against the rock, and his arms begin to move. I quickly stuff the containers into my bag, concealing them beneath the other supplies, and for a moment I'm glad the jars are shatter resistant before I turn Itachi over, concealing the now empty eye sockets.

Naruto grumbles and begins to sit up, and he blinks his sleep away. He looks around, and his eyes lock onto the now dead Akatsuki member lying in front of him for a moment, then his eyes shift to me.

"Hinata…where are we?" He asks. "What is _he_ doing on the ground?"

"We're in an underground cave." I explain to my teammate. "Itachi brought us down here."

His eyes shift to the motionless Akatsuki.

"What happened to him?" He asks with no hint of concern but plenty of curiosity in his voice.

"When I woke up, I found him like this." I lie to him.

_If I tell him what Itachi told me, he'll either go off the handle or he'll think he was lying, but he wasn't there when Itachi explained everything, he wouldn't know._

"I thought I saw an abnormal growth in his lungs when we fought, and from what I know about diseases it looked like cancer of some kind, and from what I could tell he shouldn't have been standing, much less fighting like he was. His body probably just gave out on him." I finish explaining.

I watch Naruto look at me for a long moment, and in his eyes I can see him buy what I've told him; want to buy what I've told him.

He nods, breaking our eye contact and then looks up with determination in his eyes.

"We need to get out of here." He says with resolution in his voice. "And we have to do something with his body; we can't just leave it here."

I nod in understanding.

"You're right." I agree. "His body has a lot of secrets, and if an enemy shinobi got a hold of it, it could mean disaster for Konoha."

Naruto jumps off the rock, landing on his feet with a light thud.

"I'll carry his body." Naruto offers.

"No I will." I quickly offer. "You're the combat specialist; if we run into trouble it'll be better if you're unencumbered."

He nods his understanding, and I put my bag on my back, and then I wrap Itachi's body in his cloak before I pick it up and carry it 'bridal style.'

"This cave seems to gently slope upward, if we just follow the tunnel we should eventually hit the surface."

He mumbles an affirmative, and he starts walking down the path, and I follow five steps behind him.

_You lied to him and you're lying to him when you should've just told him about what happened. He's mature now, and he would understand._

_But what if he doesn't?_ A little voice whispers in the back of mind. _What if you told him and he thought you were crazy for even thinking Itachi wasn't lying?_

I take care to make sure the cloak conceals his face, both out of respect and to conceal his now missing eyes.

_He thinks his father is a good man, if he learned his dad ordered Itachi to slaughter his own family, it would traumatize him. I'll have to report all of this to Haruka when I get a moment alone. She knows about all of this, and she'll hopefully understand everything he's told me._

"Can you activate your Byakugan Hinata?" Naruto asks. "I'd like to know how far this path goes."

The veins around my eyes bulge as I activate my Byakugan, and the insight fills me.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An hour later we emerge from the cave into the light of the afternoon sun.

"Which way is our team?" Naruto asks.

I put the dead Uchiha down; making sure the cloak conceals his eyes.

"We should probably wait." I respond. "Shino has all of us bug tagged, and carrying around Itachi's body would severely limit our defensive ability."

He nods in understanding, accepting my explanation.

"All right, then we need to get camp set up." He says.

Naruto removes his pack, and I do so as well. The two of us remove supplies from our packs and set them out. I carefully avoid the two macabre jars, withdrawing the necessary supplies for our tents as well as the other supplies needed for setting up a short term camp. In an hour, Naruto and I have our tents set up, and thanks to some of his shadow clones, three rather large rabbits that slowly rotate over a fire.

Both the real Naruto and I watch the dressed and prepared rabbits slowly rotate over the flames while a shadow clone of Naruto slowly rotates the rotisserie by hand. The shadow clone looks absurdly bored as he rotates the food. The smell of the cooking meat wafts into the air, and thanks to a small set of spices I packed into my pack, the smell causes several growls to resonate from inside Naruto's stomach.

His stomach growls and I smile at him as he quickly looks away in embarrassment. The Shadow clone glances at the real Naruto, a scowl forming on the clone's face.

"At least _you_ get to eat some of these." The clone points out.

The real Naruto blushes as he sits next to the fire.

"If you're really nice, I'll let you have some." I speak to the clone, and I see the real Naruto's face turn into a scowl.

"He's not getting any! He's just a shadow clone!"

The shadow clone stops turning the rabbits and stands up, towering over the real Naruto.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The shadow clone demands.

Naruto makes a hand sign, and the shadow clone dispels, disappearing into a puff of smoke.

"There, now he's gone." Naruto mutters.

"Well, the meat looks cooked, so I guess we don't need to cook it anymore."

I reach out and gingerly remove the two sticks that hold the rabbits above the fire. Moving them carefully I lean them against the frame that once held the sticks while the fire continues to crackle and burn. Naruto ogles the meat as it slowly cools while it leans against the frame constructed around the fire pit. Naruto begins to salivate as he stares at the rabbit meat, and I smile at his obvious desire to ravage the small cooked animals.

"Think they're cool enough to eat?" Naruto asks, practically drooling in anticipation.

I suppress the desire to laugh.

"If you're careful, I think you'll be all right." I affirm for him.

In the blink of an eye one of the rabbits disappears, and the next moment Naruto holds the stick with one hand on each end, his teeth ripping through the cooked rabbit.

"Um, you might want to eat slowly Naruto." I remind him. "You don't wanna choke…"

He swallows a mouthful of the meat, and then smiles at me, giving me a thumb up with his left hand.

"I'm all right, and it's really good Hinata!" He says with a smile.

I blush in embarrassment and quickly pick up my rabbit and start to eat. Unlike Naruto I eat daintily, taking small bites and letting the meat cool further while Naruto wolfs the meat down. Once he's done with the rabbit, I reach up and rip a small portion of the rabbit's meat off and hand it to him. He gratefully accepts the meat and stuffs it into his mouth while I continue to work on my rabbit. Soon enough, he rips into a ration bar and starts drinking water from his canteen while I finish my rabbit and drink from my canteen. Naruto finishes the bar by the time I finish my rabbit, and we discard the non-edible remains of the rabbits, burying them nearby to keep the smell down.

Naruto swishes his canteen around, and from the sound I can tell that the canteen is nearly empty. He looks down at his canteen, and then to mine.

"You need some water?" He asks, and I nod, taking a long drink from the canteen before I cap it and hand it to him.

He takes the canteen and sets both of them down before he makes a hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yells out.

Two clones pop into existence, and Naruto hands a canteen to each of them. The clones take them from him, and Naruto looks at each of them.

"Go find some fresh water and fill our canteens and then bring them back." Naruto orders them.

The two shadow clones grumble an affirmative and then take off into the woods around us. Naruto sits down near the fire, and his eyes drift to the dead body lying five feet away, most of its body concealed by the black and red cloak he once wore.

"So, you just woke up and he was lying on the ground dead?" Naruto casually asks, and I nod once.

"Yeah…it was really strange."

"Yeah, before I blacked out, it didn't seem like he was that messed up."

I shrug my shoulders.

"He could've been doped up on painkillers." I offer as an explanation.

"Maybe." Naruto considers, and I nod.

"He had to be, to be able to do what he was doing without feeling like he was dying."

"I guess." Naruto mutters and I look up toward the blue sky.

"There isn't much else for us to do, I'm sure our teammates will be here soon."

"Yeah." He mutters, his eyes staring down at Itachi's body.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Nearly two hours pass before both Naruto and I hear something in the distance. We both sit around the fire, a comfortable silence having fallen between us after the shadow clones returned with our canteens.

We both glance to each other, nodding to each other a moment after I hear the noise. We both get to our feet, and his hands drift toward his wrists, preparing to hit the releases on his wrist weights and then his leg restraints. Two figures emerge from the forest, and they quickly materialize into Shino and Haruka. They both land near us and Naruto grabs a kunai from his pouch, pointing it toward them.

"Hold it, what's our team's secret code?" Naruto asks, holding the kunai steady.

_Secret code, we never talked about anything even remotely like that._

Haruka keeps her expression neutral, and Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Naruto, we have never in all the time we have spent together discussed a secret code." Shino says, and Naruto sighs, lowering the kunai.

"Guess it really is both of you." Naruto says, returning the kunai to his pouch and scratching the back of his head.

Haruka looks at both of us, and takes in the camp site both Naruto and I set up.

"You both are all right, I take it?" She asks, and both Naruto and I nod our assent.

Haruka stands with minor burns on her arms, and Shino stands next to her, his hands in his pockets. Naruto's eyes seem to fix on our leader's arms, and the dead body lying near us is seemingly forgotten.

"Are you all right?" He asks. "Itachi almost burned you with that black flame thing before he sucked Hinata and me down into that cave." He points out.

"I have already looked at our leader's wounds." Shino comments and Naruto nods again.

"All right." He backs off, sounding subdued.

Haruka's eyes lock on the dead body wrapped in an Akatsuki cloak.

"Is that Itachi?" She asks, and I nod.

"Yeah, he was dead after he brought both Hinata and I down into a cave underground. Hinata says that he had some kind of cancer in his lungs, and his body finally gave out."

"I suppose that's possible." Haruka says, looking at me and I avoid her gaze.

"Well, why didn't you use the same power that Itachi did?" I ask.

She shakes her head.

"He had a heightened form of the Sharingan." She explains to me. "I have no idea how he obtained that power, but I haven't been able to figure it out."

Shino clears his throat.

"It would be wise if we were to return to the village." He suggests. "To remain away from the village would only serve to further endanger us and with the death of Itachi Uchiha and the routing of Kisame Hoshigaki, our mission is completed, to an extent."

"I agree, but it is late, and we need to dispose of Itachi's body." Haruka points out.

"Um, could I report to you, alone?" I ask my teacher, and she nods cautiously.

"The both of you wait here and guard the body." Haruka orders Naruto and Shino. "We'll be right back."

Haruka motions for me to follow, and she takes off into the woods, and I follow her. We move through the village for roughly twenty minutes before she stops and I stop near her. She looks at me sternly.

"What do you have to say?" She asks blatantly.

"Itachi wasn't dead when I woke up." I report to her. "He had Naruto under a jutsu, and he told me what happened to the Uchiha clan as well as why he murdered the entire clan." I inform her. "He also asked me to take his eyes after he committed suicide, and deliver them to Sasuke after I return to the village."

She nods in understanding.

"I see…" She mutters, taking the information in. "And you lied to Naruto about all this?"

"Yes, I couldn't imagine how heartbroken he'd be if he learned that his father ordered someone to kill his parents and all of his family." I begin. "If he learned that his father did this, he'd take it to him and only cause trouble."

Haruka nods once, understanding exactly what I mean.

"I understand what you mean." She tells me. "I'll have to report this to the Hokage when we get back."

"I understand."

"We need to head back, both Naruto and Shino are going to be curious, and we need to dispose of Itachi before they see his eyes are missing."

She takes off, and I take off after her. After a short twenty minutes Haruka and I are back at the camp site Naruto and I set up, and both he and Shino stand near the body, looking around and searching for a threat. Haruka nods to both of them, and she moves to the body. She kneels down and makes hand signs.

Her hands glow blue with chakra, and she places her hands against his body. The blue glow grows over his body, and her face contorts in concentration.

_What's she doing?_

Naruto, Shino and I all watch silently while Haruka kneels there, and after a full minute the woman removes her hands from his body, and then stands up straight. She lets out a short breath, and then turns toward us.

"I've destroyed the genetic information pertaining to the Sharingan and all the evidence from all the jutsu Itachi knew and used." She elaborates. "His body is now virtually useless to a foreign shinobi. The least we should do is bury him."

The three of us nod, and thanks to a few ninjutsu as well as some handy folding tools we go about digging a grave for the fallen Uchiha. After nearly ten minutes the small grave is dug, and we lower the body into the ground. With smooth motion we cover the grave, and Haruka stabs a kunai into the ground as a marker for his grave.

Standing over the grave, the four of us stand around it, looking down at the freshly dug ground and the kunai stabbed into the earth at the top of the grave.

"Should we say something?" Naruto asks.

"Itachi Uchiha was a powerful shinobi, and a loving brother." I speak a eulogy, and Haruka nods solemnly.

"Let's go." She says. "We'll camp out here tonight, and tomorrow morning we'll search for any other Akatsuki activity in the area, and then we'll head back once we hit the border."

We nod, and leave the solemn scene behind us.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next day, Haruka, Naruto, Shino and I all get up early and leave. We head back to Konoha, leaving the grave behind after we pack up our camp. We travel from dawn, and we travel all day. Haruka moves us at an ANBU's pace, and we don't stop until well after night has fallen.

Haruka calls for a stop, and she moves us to a small open area in the forest. We set up camp like trained ninja. Haruka and Shino work on setting up tents while Naruto and I go off in search of firewood, though before we left Haruka commented to us that 'we should refrain from doing anything naughty.'

I use my Byakugan to search out for suitable sticks while Naruto carries the wood, his shadow clones whispering off into the night like wraiths in search of wood.

"How was your training, you know while you were gone with Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama?"

"It was hard, but I think the results speak for themselves." I respond to him.

"It was weird with you being gone." He admits. "It was like something was missing."

I smile back at him.

"It's nice to hear you say that." I pause while a Shadow clone returns with a set of sticks and hands them to the real Naruto, dispelling afterward.

"Do you still feel the same way you did before you left the village?"

I nod quickly.

_I can't believe I'm still embarrassed about admitting it to him._

"I was so glad when you told me that you and Sakura weren't an item that you hadn't forgotten about me during my long absence."

He cracks a cocky grin.

"I told you I'd get stronger for you, so I could help you carry the burdens that you've been inflicted with, and I don't go back on my word so how could I forget you?" He asks in earnest.

I open my mouth to say something, but I honestly don't know what to say to that. I quickly spot a set of suitable twigs, and I turn my head toward it.

"There's some good firewood there." I quickly point in the general direction of the wood, changing the subject.

Naruto kneels, setting the collected wood down before he makes the sign of the ram, molding chakra around his body.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu…" He mutters.

A clone pops into existence and Naruto sends it out into the forest in the direction I pointed. The clone takes off into the forest, leaving Naruto and I alone together. A silence falls between us, and I look down, avoiding his gaze.

_How could you stupidly change the subject like that? Have you really changed at all? Before you would've changed the subject and avoided talking to him about that, and you just did it! Do you REALLY want a relationship with him, or are you just floundering around like an idiot?_

I nod inside, not outwardly making any motion. I steel my resolve.

"Naruto…" I speak his name, and he turns toward me.

I reach out and touch his shoulders. Moving like a wraith I cover the distance between us and I wrap my arms around his shoulders. My lips meet his, and for a split second his lips are rigid. Then, his lips soften, and his lips move with mine, in spite of the fact that it's only our second kiss. For a long moment we kiss, and when I pull back slowly, I can see a longing in his eyes that tells me he would love to continue.

I smile slyly at him.

"I love you, and I learned a lot from Jiraiya-sensei about how to please a man…" I trail off, and Naruto's eyes practically burn with the light of recognition.

"If you mean what I think you mean." He mutters, and I keep the smile on my face, staying quiet for a long moment.

_He wants confirmation that we're talking about the same thing, and it's driving him bonkers._

"Unfortunately we'll have to pick this conversation up later." I inform him. "We're on a mission, and if Haruka caught us together naked…" I trail off again.

Naruto nods, swallowing the saliva in his mouth.

"You're right." He hesitantly agrees, though being so close to him I can tell that a certain part of him wholly disagrees.

There's a rustling in the bushes, and the two of us split apart like we're on fire and the shadow clone returns, holding the twigs in his hands. The clone scowls, sighing heavily.

"You two, get a room." The clone mutters dryly.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Naruto and I walk back to the camp nearly thirty minutes later with Naruto holding an armload of firewood. After the clone returned and Naruto dispelled it, he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself after the stimulation given to him. Afterward, I remembered something Tsunade told me after one of Jiraiya's special 'lectures.'

_A man is a volatile creature when it comes to sex. If you over stimulate one, especially a young one, they can lose their good sense and do things they'll regret later and things you don't want. Always remember that._

Then, the contents of one of his 'lectures' came to mind.

_He told me about all sorts of 'techniques' that a girl can use to seduce a man especially a teenaged boy. Though Tsunade ALWAYS quickly whacked him on the head for his trouble, for 'teaching me lewd things.' _

With Naruto carrying the firewood, I don't even realize that we're back at the camp site until we're practically on top of it.

Shino and Haruka have set up all of our tents and have created a fire pit, and only wait on the firewood gathered by Naruto and me to start a fire and get dinner cooking. The two of them sit silently around the fire pit, two smooth sections of trees around the stone circle of the fire pit acting as natural chairs. Both she and Shino sit on those logs, and when we arrive both of them look in our direction.

Haruka has her Sharingan in her eyes, and Shino has his hands in his pockets. Haruka eyes us for a moment, and then stands up, relaxing her posture as she stands.

"You both took a while." She comments, and Naruto carries the wood toward her while I keep pace with him.

"We gathered a lot of firewood, so we shouldn't have any problem starting and maintaining a fire." I explain. "Naruto used his shadow clones to collect the firewood, so we managed to get some practice in, but he's a little low on chakra."

Haruka nods, taking the wood from him without another word.

_I wonder, can she somehow tell that we haven't done anything?_

"My allies have formed a perimeter, and shall stand guard all night in addition to the posted watch." He informs us, now standing near the fire pit.

Haruka puts the firewood into the pit, and I move to help her set it in a proper formation. Before long the four of us sit around a popping and crackling fire. We eat the ration bars carried by all shinobi, and we drink from our canteens. I for one, enjoy the down time, glad that I can relax and enjoy some quiet time with Naruto, Shino, and even the older Haruka.

Naruto sighs, shaking his head as he looks down at the ration bar held in his left hand.

"I wish I had some of Hina's home cooking, rather than these awful bars." Naruto mutters.

His comment stirs a memory, and I remember being in the Manor's kitchen early in the morning, carefully piecing together boxed lunches for Naruto, Kurenai, and Shino. Back then, I felt like it was one of the only things I could do for the team, to actually contribute somehow rather than just hold them back.

_Thinking about it now, that all seems like a lifetime ago, standing over the rice cooker, waiting for it to finish while I cooked the other parts of their meals, so much has happened since then._

"The taste of her food would be preferable to these rations." Shino interjects.

Haruka looks at me, raising her eyebrows in questioning.

"Why'd you cook for them?" She asks nonchalantly.

I lower my eyes, trying to think of something to tell her that doesn't sound weak and pitiful.

I feel a sensation against my right arm, and I look up to see Naruto sitting next to me, touching my right arm. I look to my team leader, and I close my hands into fists.

"Back then I cooked for them because I felt like I was only a hindrance to Naruto and Shino." I begin. "So, I made lunches for them, but I had no idea that they'd like my cooking so much, that it'd go over so well. Even Kurenai-sensei liked it."

The older woman smiles, looking down at her ration bar.

"I'll have to try your cooking sometime after we get back." She comments to herself.

It isn't long after that the four of us finish eating our ration bars and the fire begins to dwindle.

"Time to hit the sack, we've got an early morning tomorrow." Haruka says. "Hinata, take the first watch, Naruto you'll relieve her in two, Shino will relieve him two hours after that, and I'll take the last watch." Haruka explains the watch rotation.

The three of them go into their tents, closing them behind them. Naruto mouths good night to me before he slips into his tent, and I smile back at him before he disappears into the tent.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I stand before the cage; the damp dank atmosphere of the large chamber leaves a bad taste in my mouth. In front of me rests the large bars, consuming the entire back of the chamber. I hear the sound of heavy breathing, a low almost growl resonating and filling the cavernous chamber. A red haze seems to waft from the chamber, a cloud tinted red that seeps through the bars.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Kyuubi's voice reverberates throughout the chamber.

I turn my head away from the demon, putting my back to it; I cross my arms over my chest in stubbornness.

"I don't want to talk to you." I tell it.

The creature _roars_, its anger echoing throughout the chamber. The air rushes past me. The ground around me shakes, but I stand firm. I hear the sound as the demon roars, and its claws clang loudly against the bars, tearing at them and trying to get out. I let the demon be angry, the air pulling at my hair, but I ignore it.

Nearly two minutes later, the demon's anger subsides, and its rampage dies down.

"How can you be so arrogant?" It asks me.

I turn around and glare it straight in its 'eyes.'

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." I tell it.

It growls in anger, its temper flaring again. It lashes out against the bars, but the bars hold.

"Why you ingrate." It growls at me. "When you were younger, I was the only one who would pick you up after you'd been hurt, and you treat me with such contempt?"

"You only helped me to help yourself, and you never once meant me well!"

The monster's anger seems to cool, and I hear it chuckle behind the bars.

"You're correct in that, host." It says with a toothy grin.

"What do you want from me?" I demand from it.

"Why don't you just forcibly mate with that bastard's child?" It asks, and for a moment I don't know what to say.

_It's asking me why I don't just forcibly sleep with Naruto, but why would it care about whether or not I have a child?_

"I wouldn't do that! And I won't make him do it if he doesn't want to either!"

The Fox chuckles again, sounding mildly amused.

"It's blatantly obvious that the boy wants to mate with you." It tells me. "It was only due to your reminder that he stopped."

"I don't want my first time to be out in the woods, like some kind of animal."

"What's wrong with that?" The demon asks.

"Haruka told me not to do anything like that!"

"What difference does it make whether or not that woman told you do anything?" It asks me. "If the boy is a suitable mate, then you should mate to ensure the birth of a strong child."

"You couldn't understand." I mutter, and the fox mutters an agreement.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Wake up, all of you!" Haruka's voice enters my ears.

My eyes open, and I wake up in my tent, my sleeping bag pulled up near my neck.

I get out of bed, rolling up my bag immediately. Shortly afterward I'm out of my tent with my pack on the ground. Naruto, Shino, Haruka and I all break camp, collapsing our tents and making sure the fire is indeed out.

After a quick breakfast and a short morning stretch, we take off with practically no sign of our presence save for a small burn in the ground, the mark of the fire built the night before.

Haruka leads us off into the forest, and I use my Byakugan to scan the area around us while we move. Haruka leads us, and I watch while Shino and Naruto maintain a constant vigil. Several hours pass before I detect something at the edge of my range.

"We're nearing the border, much farther and we won't be able to search anymore."

"There's something ahead!" I call out, and the four of us stop.

We take position on tree branches, and Haruka turns to me.

"What do you see?" She asks.

"It's a large boulder in front of a cave, and it has a forbidden seal placed on it."

"What is it concealing?"

"I cannot tell." I respond. "The walls of the cave are covered in chakra, and it makes it very hard for me to discern anything inside the cave."

The four of us move into the forest, heading toward the boulder. The four of us stop at the boulder and move around it. Haruka looks at the boulder, her eyes scanning the giant eight foot tall rock silently.

"I've sent his barrier method before." She comments. "The method involves four barrier talismans, in addition to the one we're looking at here, and in order to get past the barrier all five talismans have to be removed at the same time, or the barrier will never be removed."

"I assume you are not unaware that there are only four of us, and it will be impossible for us to remove all five talismans on our own."

Haruka nods solemnly.

"It'll be next to impossible for us to get in."

"Um, I can make four shadow clones that can go off and remove the talismans while one of us removes this one." Naruto speaks up.

Haruka eyes him cautiously.

"Will you still have any chakra left after making four clones with that much autonomy, four clones like that will take a lot of chakra?" She asks.

"I can do it, no problem!" He affirms, and Haruka nods.

Naruto removes a wireless radio from his pocket and puts it in his right ear. He makes the sign of the ram, and with a yell of 'Shadow Clone Jutsu!' four shadow clones pop into existence around him. The four clones and the real Naruto synchronize their wireless radios, and once the five of them are synced, Haruka looks at me.

"Find the Talismans Hinata." Haruka orders me.

I use my Byakugan and look throughout my field of vision. It's easy for me to locate the four talismans in the forest, and I find each one easily enough.

"There's one 236 meters northwest of here on a tree trunk. There's another 174 meters south-southwest on a large rock. The third talisman is on the bank of a river 293 meters southeast of here. The last talisman is northwest, 139 meters away on a tree branch."

"All right." Naruto mutters.

Naruto gives out orders to the four clones, and the clones all speak an affirmative in unison before they take off in the general directions of the four talismans. With the clones gone, I look toward Naruto and examine his chakra network. Looking through him, I see his normally brightly glowing blue coils are now dimmed a fraction, though he is by no means 'out' of chakra.

_He didn't waste an ounce of chakra when he made those clones. He used just enough to create them and have them have a long enough 'life' to do their jobs before they're dispelled. It's amazing that he's gone so far, mastering that Jounin level technique as well as learning medicinal jutsu and whatever else his father taught him during my time away from the village. _

The four of us wait while the clones maneuver into position. With my Byakugan, I watch the clones and rely getting them into position through Naruto with his wireless radio. After nearly ten minutes, the shadow clones are in position, and the real Naruto takes position on top of the boulder.

"All right…" Naruto begins. "In five...four...three...two...one..." He counts down.

The five Narutos all remove their talismans at the same time. The real Naruto leaps away from the boulder after he pulls the talisman off, and I run forward. Balling my hands into a fist, I use what Tsunade taught me about using super human strength and I envelope my right hand in a ball of chakra. I drive my fist into the stone, and my fist breaks into the rock. The force from my blow causes cracks to spider web outward from the impact point. I pull my fist out of the rock and the boulder collapses into useless shards. Shino and Haruka run past me on my left, with Haruka in front and Shino close behind. Shino has kikai flying around him as he charges into the room beyond the boulder, and I use my Byakugan to peer into the room, seeing it devoid of life and just a giant empty chamber.

"It's clear!" Haruka announces.

I sigh in relief, and then through the Byakugan I notice that four new Narutos have joined the shadow clones, giving off the impression of eight shadow clones.

_But, where did the other clones come from?_

The copies quickly attack the clones, and one by one the original shadow clones are dispelled by quick blows. Once the clones are gone, the extra ones all turn into piles of brown muck.

_The copy technique must've been designed to delay whoever removed the talismans and keep them from reinforcing whoever breached the main entrance, but what in the world where they trying so hard to protect?_

Both Naruto and I join Haruka and Shino inside the room. Both she and Shino have already begun searching the room.

_They must've thought the same thing I did. They're wondering just what in the world the Akatsuki were trying so hard to protect._

I look around the room, and Haruka stands up, holding something in her hand.

"I've found something." She mutters.

Shino, Naruto and I all walk to her, and she holds up a long black hair in between her thumb and pointer fingers.

"What do you think that is?" Naruto asks.

"I think it's a piece of Itachi Uchiha's hair, indicating that he was here at some point. But, I can't be sure without having it put under analysis."

"Does that mean we're going to continue searching?" I ask.

"Have you seen anything else out of the ordinary?"

I shake my head no.

"We're close to the border, and we can't be seen crossing into the land of rain." She explains. "If we do get caught we could start a war and end up killing a lot of people." She pauses, as though deciding what to do. "We're heading back, our mission is over."

I sigh in relief, a single thought crossing my mind.

_Well, at least we're all alive and unhurt, there's something for that isn't there?_


	24. Chapter 24

-1(Well, this is Chapter 24, the delay was mostly due to my Beta trying to find a copy of word and my Laptop having to be wiped and reinstalled. Anyway, he seemed to like what was going on here and had a lot of nice things to say, and I hope you all will have some nice things to say as well. Anyway, I'm working on 25 as well, though NOBODY seemed to like the Claymore thing I posted, so I guess that will be the end of that. Anyway, hope you enjoy the Chap.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 24: Family

Naruto, Shino, Haruka and I all stand in Minato's office. It's been days since the mission was wrapped, and we began the return trip to Konoha. During the trip, I never once spoke of Itachi to either Naruto or Shino after we disposed of his corpse. Even now, standing before the Hokage, his eyes remain in the hardened container in the bottom of my pack.

"…and with that, the four of us left the border lands and returned here. Naturally we disposed of Itachi's corpse per ANBU regulations. Even if someone were to exhume it, they would gain nothing from it other then a good look at a corpse. I've already turned the recovered hair over to the criminal science department for testing, to confirm that it was in fact Itachi Uchiha's hair, proving he was once in that large room."

The man sits behind his desk, his fingertips together in a pyramid shape, and a look of approval on his features.

"While it's unfortunate you were unable to capture them, you did eliminate the rogue Itachi, and reduced Akatsuki's numbers as well as stopped them from coming to Konoha and causing a repeat of what happened the last time the same two shinobi came to the village. All in all, I'd say your mission wasn't a failure."

Haruka shakes her head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-dono." Haruka apologizes again. "I feel it was a failure on my part that allowed things to go as they did…"

He shakes his head, parting his hands and standing up from behind his desk.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Minato again explains to her. "You all are dismissed for now. I'll send Haruka to find you all when you're next needed." He finishes with a wave of his hand.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Naruto and I walk together through the village, having taken the short trip to the Hokage manor to unpack and get clean before we both decided to take a short walk around the village, to unwind.

He walks with his hands behind his head, a casual air about him. He looks up at the sky, a relaxed expression on his face.

"It is nice to have some down time." He points out.

_That's true, but something's been bothering me, ever since I got back…_

"Naruto, can I ask you something?"

He glances toward me.

"Sure, go ahead." He says, shrugging his shoulders.

"The Chunin exams, they're supposed to require three man genin teams to take the test, how did you ever take the exam again without another teammate?"

"Dad assigned another genin that graduated from the academy, and the three of us took the exam together." Naruto explains. "It wasn't that hard, and I don't have any doubt that you'd pass the exam if you took them now, though I don't know who you'd take them with."

"Becoming a Chunin isn't one of my priorities now." I inform him.

"Do you still want to succeed the Hyuga clan now?"

"I've had a long time to think about what I want in life, and the nearly four years have shown me that being leader of the Hyuga clan and succeeding my grandmother's wishes isn't nearly as important as I thought it was." I explain to him.

"Well, what is important to you?"

"Um, you…" I begin, and his cheeks flush immensely before I continue. "My ability to live peacefully and happily, I know that grandmother would've wanted me to be happy, without fear of someone trying to kidnap me and kill me."

He looks at me with the remains of a blush still fresh on his face, and I can see it in his eyes that he doesn't know what to say.

"The fact that you care about me the way you do means more to me then being the leader of the Hyuga clan ever will."

Ahead of us, a middle aged man moves from the crowd and puts himself in front of us. I immediately recognize his eyes, and the headband that covers his forehead no doubt conceals the curse mark of the Hyuga branch family. He has short dark hair and the Hyuga eyes, with a scar that runs down his left eye. He wears the robes of the Hyuga family, and looks at me with an even expression.

"You are Hinata-sama, are you not?" He asks, looking directly at me.

I look at the man for a moment, and I try to place his face, but I don't recognize the man. Naruto shifts, moving toward me and in front of me, between the Hyuga branch family member and me.

"I am not here to cause trouble." The Hyuga says flatly. "I come bearing a message from the leader of the Hyuga clan, for Hinata-sama."

_A message for me, what could Hizashi have to say to me?_

"What message?" I ask curiously.

"Hizashi-sama would like to meet you, in a public place, he's waiting alone as we speak and he doesn't care if you have a squad of ANBU shinobi with you when you come."

"All right…" I reluctantly agree.

Naruto glances at me, and I can see the questioning in his eyes and on his face. He turns back to the branch family member, and then glares at him.

"I'm going too." He says, a no nonsense tone to his voice.

I nod my approval, and the branch family member motions behind him.

"If you would, please follow me."

The branch family member leads the two of us through the village to a public park. The branch family member moves slowly, and in the distance I can see Hizashi standing there, wearing the robes of the Hyuga clan leader, and I feel a stabbing pain at the sight. Seeing the man wearing the same robes that my grandmother once wore, it infuriates me.

He turns toward the three of us, and his forehead is concealed by a headband, the only sign that he isn't the _true_ leader of my clan.

"Farewell." The branch family member says and then quickly disappears.

The branch family member leaves Hizashi, Naruto and I alone in the middle of the park. Hizashi looks at Naruto, a false smile coming to his features.

"Greetings Naruto Namikaze, son of the Honorable 4th Hokage." Hizashi greets him.

Naruto scowls at the man.

"Skip it." Naruto retorts.

The man faces me, looking at me with false happiness in his eyes.

"It's nice to see you Hinata, it's been so long. I'd hoped the rumors of your death were exaggerated."

"You're the one who started the rumors…" Naruto mutters.

Hizashi ignores Naruto, keeping his face on me.

"I'd only recently heard you'd returned to Konoha, and I've asked you here today because I have a deal to offer you."

"A deal, what kind of deal can you offer me?" I ask, keeping my tone and face even.

"I've become quite accustomed to my destiny as leader of the Hyuga clan." He begins, arrogance filling his voice. "I've learned a lot during the last four years."

I force myself not to scowl at him, and keep my voice even.

"We both know you're nothing more then a figurehead Hizashi, so what's your point?"

In spite of the stab, Hizashi keeps his voice even.

"I'll be getting to it, if you'll only listen." He retorts.

_He must be smiling inside. I'll bet he's reveling in making me wait to listen to him, when before the roles would've been reversed._

"Both of my children have grown, and Natsume has become rather fond of having her forehead unmarred by the curse seal Neji and I had inflicted upon us by Hibana."

My hands ball into fists at his disrespectful mention of my grandmother. I keep my emotions in check, and I fight the urge to rip Hizashi's heart out of his chest and show it to him, so he can see how black his heart is just before he dies.

"I've come here to offer you a deal, and all you need do is renounce your name as a Hyuga, be branded with the curse mark, and give up all claims you have to the main house…" He pauses. "Then I will tell you who your biological mother is."

_WHAT?_

Looking at the smug expression on Hizashi's face, and the utter confidence in his eyes, the serious in his tone, I know that Hizashi is not lying. Looking at him, I feel my eyes go wide, and I'm too stunned to speak.

"What's the big deal?" Naruto asks, glancing between Hizashi and me. "Didn't Hinata's mom die when we were younger or something?"

Hizashi turns toward the boy, and gives him a placating smile.

"You don't know, so I'll explain it for you." Hizashi begins. "Hyuga clan law prevents a parent from outside the Hyuga clan from associating with their child who does have the Byakugan, it's a measure to protect the bloodline as well as strengthen the clan by keeping worries such as that out of the child's mind." He continues. "However, all information pertaining to non Hyuga parentage is kept secret, though records are kept in case a powerful child is born, so the union can be encouraged, like with my Neji."

He reaches into his robes and withdraws a sealed black scroll. On it is a seal with my name printed neatly on it.

"This is the record of your lineage, Hinata." Hizashi informs me, holding it out as if to tempt me with it. "It contains all the information you'll need to find your mother. I'll give it to you, so long as you agree to my conditions."

I find my voice, and I glare daggers at Hizashi.

"What will you do I refuse?"

He cracks a cocky smile.

"As clan leader, the fate of all the paternal records is my decision, to keep them, or destroy them, or reveal them for the world to see."

"So, you'll destroy the scroll if I say no to your proposal?" I ask, and he smiles.

"You are a clever and astute little Kitsune, aren't you?" He asks rhetorically.

Naruto shifts his weight from his left foot to his right foot then. Out of the corner of my eye I see him grimace at Hizashi calling me 'fox' but he manages to contain the urge to let his fists walk all over Hizashi's face.

I however, don't care about the ignorant man calling me a name; instead I focus on the offer he's put before me.

_If I accept the offer, I can shuck all of the stress that has to do with him trying to assassinate me, and I can meet the woman who birthed me. But if I do, I'll be throwing away all of my grandmother's work to raise me to be the next leader of the clan, all the time I spent with her teaching me, when I couldn't just pick things up like Neji can. When she had to work to teach me._

"I have had the threat of your return to rob me of my rightful place hang over me every day like a cloud these last four years, and I'm absolutely sick of it. I want to put the matter of your lineage behind me as it's the one thing preventing me from moving on and assuming my rightful place on the throne in both name and right."

"How can you be so cruel?" Naruto speaks up, and Hizashi gives him a placating smile.

"The world is a cruel place boy; you'll do best to learn it." Hizashi practically spits at him.

Naruto turns his head toward me, restrained anger on his features.

"Let's just rush him, we'll grab the scroll and beat the crap out of him for good measure." Naruto suggests, and I shake my head no.

Hizashi smiles condescendingly toward Naruto.

"Surely you understand that these scrolls are designed to be easily destroyed should someone who isn't supposed to see them look at them, don't you?" He asks. "Why, right now with a small amount of chakra I could burn this scroll to cinders and all the information contained within." He continues. "So, the only thing you'd accomplish by attacking me would be committing assault on the leader of a shinobi clan that has a lot of influence within the Konoha council, and neither of you would see the light of day again for it, even if that bastard does favor you."

Naruto flinches, as though he was going to spring forward but caught himself before he actually does.

_It must be so hard for him to stand there while Hizashi insults his father._

I look Hizashi in the eye for a long moment, and during that moment I remember all the time spent with my grandmother. I remember pushing myself further and further to please her, and the one constant throughout it all, the only thing she ever desired of me.

_Succeed the clan and keep the true main house alive, it was all she ever really wanted. Everything was for that purpose, all the training sessions, all the time spent in the dojo, all the long nights and being escorted to and from the academy, all of it was so I would one day succeed the clan as my birthright and keep our lineage alive and strong._

In that moment, I make my decision.

"I cannot sully the memory of my grandmother by accepting your offer Hizashi, as it would be a betrayal of everything she worked for after my father died."

He frowns and the scroll in his hands ignites in flames a moment later, the flames burning from the edges toward the center. The man wistfully throws the scroll behind him before the flames touch his fingers.

"It's a shame you think that way." He says with a lack of caring in his voice, while the scroll that contained my family information burns like dry leaves. "I hope you enjoy never knowing who your mother is, and never having a family." He finishes, happiness creeping into his voice at the thought of me being miserable for the rest of my life.

_He's enjoying this, that rat bastard son of a bitch…_

__**"Rip his flesh, tear him apart, and bathe in his blood…" **A familiar voice whispers in my ears, begging me forward.

For once, I listen to the inner voice.

I spring forward, my restraints meaning nothing when I grab him by the throat, my left hand striking his chest and I push him backward, slamming him into a tree before I resist the urge to choke him, wanting him to be fully conscious for as long as possible to experience as much pain as I can inflict on him.

I see his white Hyuga robes reflecting a red light, and I don't even care that it's coming from me. My blood boils in my veins, the desire to damage and destroy running through me as though it was a part of me. I feel my teeth pressing against each other, demonic fury at being caged for sixteen long years running through me.

"I'll kill you, I'll rip your heart out and I'll shove it so far up your ass you'll throw it up before you die!" I seethe at him, my voice filled with bloodlust.

Resignation passes through his eyes, along with fulfillment and relief, but not the emotion I want to see. No hint of fear of his own death comes from him, only a sense of finality, and that upsets the rage that fills me.

"Do whatever you want to me, but my goal will be achieved, because you'll either be killed or locked away, and Neji will lead my family in becoming the new main house."

Some part of me just disregards what he has to say, and I reel my arm back. I open my hand, my finger nails having grown longer and pointed, and I'm ready to plunge my hand into his chest and through his rib cage to make good on my word when…

"What do genetics really mean?" Naruto's calm compassionate voice asks from behind me.

I feel his hand touch my arm, a gentle, caring touch as he slowly wraps his fingers around my arm, gently pulling it down while he continues to speak.

"Isn't love what makes a family a family?" He continues. "You've already got a family, a loving caring family that doesn't want to see you do this to yourself. He isn't worth it, and killing him will only prove that people were right about you, that you're nothing more than a fox girl, not the beautiful and compassionate person you are."

His words are like a torrential downpour on the inferno of anger and fury that burned inside of me. The red tint to Hizashi's robes fades and I release my grip on him. He falls against the tree and I move away from him, practically falling backward into Naruto's arms while he wraps me in a loving embrace.

"You made the right choice." He consoles me, and I suppress a sob.

Tears run down my cheeks while I look down at the ground. My bangs hide my face while Naruto holds me, and I can hear the sound of Hizashi getting up, moving to his feet.

"Kitsune bitch…" Hizashi mutters in contempt.

There's a puff of smoke next to Hizashi, and a hand emerges from the cloud and strikes Hizashi in his neck on a pressure point, and the man collapses like a ton of bricks.

"Sweet dreams." Naruto's shadow clone mutters.

I hear the sound of the clone disappearing, and I can only think of one thing to say.

"Naruto, thank you."

He continues to hold me, and speaks in a soothing voice.

"Everything's all right…" He whispers, stroking my hair softly.

I turn around in his arms, and he embraces me close while I bury my face in his chest.

_He has such a nice scent._

I sob and sniffle against his shirt for nearly a minute, and I'm the one to pull back, while Naruto's expression tells me he doesn't mind at all.

In his eyes I can see what he's thinking, wondering if I'm done crying or not.

He opens his arms slightly, allowing me to move back, and he looks down at me with compassion on his face.

"Are you done crying?" He asks compassionately, and I nod.

I wipe my eyes on my sleeve, drying the tears.

"We should probably head home." Naruto suggests, and I smile.

"You're right." I assent.

_From today on, that word will have a much greater meaning._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Nearly an hour later I sit in the bathtub in the bathroom adjacent to my bedroom in the Hokage manor. The water is still hot, and steam fills the air from the neck high water. The walk back was silent for the most part, with the recent events with Hizashi and the loss of my paternity records, Naruto decided it best to just leave me to my thoughts, and allowing me to think, I did just that. Even now, I sit and think about him and my relationship with him.

_I wonder if he's happy with the way our relationship is now, thinking about everything that's happened, he hasn't said anything that he'd like to take our relationship farther, but considering what just happened I don't think he'd say anything. He doesn't want to look like a self serving pig by saying that he wants that, and I don't think he'd want to go farther unless he knows that I want to. _

I remember our last kiss, and the passion I felt in it, and a blush comes to my cheeks.

_During my time away, both Jiraiya and Tsunade tried to give me advice about how I should approach my relationship with Naruto, and what I should do to try and win his heart. I can remember Jiraiya's words as clear as day: "Naruto is a guy, and like any other teenaged boy he's going to be thinking about sex, and the best and quickest way for me to pursue a relationship with him would be to hit the sheets with him. Most teenaged boys have a fantasy about meeting a girl that knows how to do everything right and make him feel good but isn't an amorous woman. If you take the lead when the two of you are alone, it will send a clear message that you want more for your relationship." While Tsunade mostly talked about things we could do that didn't involve sex, and wouldn't end up with me bearing his child. She also seemed to think that if I did those things with him and he never did them, he'd be amazed by it, and he'd never want to leave me._

I shake my head, looking down at my reflection in the water, my hair wrapped in a towel.

_I wonder if I'll even be able to bring myself to do those lewd things, and what's to say that he hasn't done them already?_

Thinking _that,_ I remember seeing Naruto and Sakura walking down the main road of the village. Seeing the two of them talking and having fun, and even though Sakura claimed they were just friends, and that she is with Sasuke now, I can't help but wonder if Sakura tried anything with him?

I remember the last encounter I had with the Uchiha boy, the crazed expression on his face and the obvious emotional damage he's been through.

_I'd want out of a relationship with him if I knew he was using me the way he's using Sakura, but I think Sakura is a little awestruck by being with him, and I wonder if she even has a clue?_

I shake my head no.

_No, if she suspected she'd at least confront him, and as much as I don't like her, Sakura isn't dumb enough to stay in a relationship like that if she knew that she meant nothing to the other party. _

"Sasuke-kun's a Jounin, and to get that high you have to be able to give a good performance and lie well. It's no wonder that she doesn't know." I mutter to myself.

Then, there's a knock at the door, a gentle rap of someone not wanting to intrude.

"Hinata, are you still in the bath?" Kushina's voice comes through the door.

"Yes, I am." I respond through the door.

"Can I come in a moment?" She asks through the door.

"Sure!" I respond, and the door opens.

Kushina quickly steps inside, and then closes the door behind her. She wears a white short sleeve blouse with a black skirt, her hair brushed back and hanging down her back. She has her back to the door, and one of the pockets on her skirt bulges with what looks like a rather large box in it.

"I'd like to talk to you…" She trails off in a casual tone.

"Sure, what's wrong Kushina-sama?"

She seems to wince at my calling her 'Kushina-sama' but she quickly masters her emotions.

"We'll have to talk about how you refer to me, but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about." She begins, not a hint of anger in her voice. "I heard from Naruto what happened earlier along with what was said, and I want you to know that I'd be proud to have you for a daughter-in-law."

I blush intensely, and I quickly look away.

"Uh, thank you…" I speak, not knowing what to say. "But, I don't know if Naruto wants to marry me."

The red haired woman shakes her head slowly.

"His demeanor after you left the village for those four years was noticeably different." She reminisces. "Since you came back, he's been noticeably brighter, happier, and I wouldn't doubt that he would like to spend the rest of his life with you."

"Um…" I mutter, looking down at the water in embarrassment.

"Actually…" She pauses, clearing her throat. "The real reason I wanted to talk to you was because Naruto came to his father and asked him some concerning questions, and we're both concerned that the two of you may be thinking about becoming…intimate with each other." Kushina finally finishes.

"What do you mean?" I ask, curious as to what exactly Naruto said to his father.

"Naruto asked how to do certain things, things a boy shouldn't be asking about unless he's in a relationship with a woman."

_Oh, so he asked for advice about 'that'…_

"And, Minato asked if Naruto has been doing those things with you, and he said he wasn't." Kushina continues. "However, once being a young boy himself, Minato knew that his son may lie to him about that subject, so he asked me to talk to you about it."

I nod my understanding, and then I meet her gaze.

"We truly haven't done anything together, though I want Naruto to know that I love him, and that if he wants to take our relationship farther, I am willing, to an extent."

The woman looks at me with an absolutely serious look on her face and in her eyes.

"How far is an extent?" She asks, her tone telling me she won't accept anything short of a clear answer.

I look down to the calm surface of the bath water.

"I…don't want to be mother, not for another few years." I finally admit, and Kushina nods.

"That's a good thing; you shouldn't want to have a baby at your age anyway. It's better if you live your life for a while before you settle down and get married." She says, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing a small black box.

The box has no markings on it, and the only external feature is a brass hinge set into one side at the seam which bisects the box in half. She opens the box on its hinge, barely a sound coming from the mechanism while it opens to an eighty degree angle. She rotates the box so I can see inside, and set into a circular pattern are fifty two white pills. The pills lack any marking, and are relatively normal size as pills go.

"What're those?"

"These are weekly contraceptive pills, all you has to do is take one of these pills once a week, and the pills will stop you from conceiving a child, allowing you to have a monogamous relationship without fear of having a child, and if you should decide to have a baby, then all you have to do is stop taking these pills once a week and wait for your cycle to fully resume. Once that happens you shouldn't have a problem conceiving with Naruto, though Minato is giving Naruto a similar pill along with a similar talk though you should remember to take the pills and not count on Naruto to take his pills." She finishes.

I nod quickly.

"Thank you; and I'll remember." I quickly assuage her.

Kushina smiles at me, standing up and closing the black box.

"I'll just leave these in your room, and these pills take forty eight hours to take effect, so wait at least that long before you do anything, okay?" She asks, and I nod again.

"Thank you, Kushina-sama." I thank her again.

The door to the bathroom opens and closes, and I sit there for a moment, thinking about everything that's just happened.

_Wow..._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Twenty minutes later I sit on the edge of my bed with a glass of water in my left hand, the black box sitting next to me, a single pill missing from it. I sit with the lights out, the only light in the room coming from the moon light gently spilling in through the open curtains and the small bar of light from beneath the door from the hall light. I sit in a pair of soft blue silk pajamas that go well with my hair color.

_Well, that starts that, according to Kushina-sama, if I wait two days before I try anything, then I won't conceive a child._

There's a knock at the door, nearly identical to the one that knocked on the bathroom door earlier. I get up from the bed, drinking the remainder of the glass of water on the short walk from the bed to the door, and I open the door with my right hand to see Kushina standing there in her pajamas, a casual expression on her face.

"A young woman is here to see you, Hinata-chan." She informs me. "Since it's so late, I showed her to the sitting room."

"Do you happen to know who it was?" I ask.

"It's a girl with shoulder length pink hair." She says.

_It must be Sakura, but what would she be doing here?_

"Would you kindly keep your visit with this short?" Kushina asks politely. "This family hardly ever gets any time together, and I'd hate to waste it with you away all night talking to some girl." Kushina explains to me.

"I'll go see what she wants, thank you Kushina-sama."

"By the way…" Kushina begins. "I've been meaning to talk to you about how you refer to me."

"Um, what about it…?" I trail off, wondering what's wrong with calling her 'Kushina-sama.'

"I know you never really had a mother or father growing up, and I don't want you calling me 'Kushina-sama' and Mini-kun 'Minato-sama' like we're your landlord or something." She explains. "Instead, call me Kushina-san or Okaa-san, in fact, call me Okaa-san from now on, okay?"

I must be wearing a look of surprise.

"But, you're Naru-kun's Okaa-san." I argue.

She scowls at me.

"Didn't Naru-chan tell you that love is what makes a family, not genetics?" She asks, and I nod solemnly.

"I understand, Okaa-san."

The scowl warps to a gleeful smile, and she practically beams.

"I've always wanted a daughter." She mutters, and I scratch the back of my head in embarrassment.

"Um, you said someone was waiting for me?" I ask, reminding her of the situation.

She blinks and nods, smiling at me.

"I know." She begins. "I'll be in the living room with Naru-chan and Mini-kun, please don't dawdle."

I nod again and Kushina walks away from the room. I watch her go around the corner and then I leave my own bedroom, heading in the opposite direction toward the sitting room. During the walk, my thoughts focus on what just happened, and the fact that Kushina considers me a member of her family.

_She considers me her daughter, even though I'm not even married to Naruto. I guess that I really don't need to know about biology to know that I have a mother now, and a family._

I walk into the sitting room, and Sakura sits inside the room on one of the chairs, the girl wears a thoughtful expression on her face. She sits on a set of five chairs arranged around a coffee table, and immediately she looks me over and stands up and apologetic look comes to her face. She wears the same red blouse and black spandex shorts, and even has her weapon and chain slung on her left shoulder and under her right arm. Fortunately she has her weapon hooked so the blade doesn't cause collateral damage, even when she sits down against the chair.

"I'm sorry I'll come back some time later." She quickly spouts.

I hold my hands, motioning for her to stop.

"It's all right. You must have a reason to want to talk, so I'm willing to listen."

Sakura sighs in relief and she slumps her shoulders and practically falls into the chair.

"Thank you…" She breathes as she sits there, holding her forehead with her left hand.

"I came because I don't know who else to turn to." She begins, tears at the edges of her eyes. "And it seems like you could help me with my problem."

"What's wrong?" I ask, taking a seat across the coffee table from Sakura, trying to sound kind and compassionate.

_It must have something to do with Sasuke. _

Sakura sighs, a frustrated air coming to her.

"It's Sasuke-kun." She finally manages to speak.

_I knew it._

I keep my face set in a compassionate mask, not letting it show that I knew exactly what was wrong with Sakura the second she sat down.

"What about Sasuke-kun?" I ask.

"He's been acting weird."

"How has he been acting weird?"

"He's been irritable lately, and whenever we're together it seems like he stops listening to me and his mind goes off somewhere…" She trails off, and the tears begin to fall from her cheeks.

She sniffles and begins to sob and cry. She wipes her eyes with her hands as despair takes her over.

"I think he's…found someone else…" She manages through the sobs and sniffles.

_Poor girl, you really do love him, but your affection is wasted in the worst way._

"That's nonsense." I assuage her through her crying. I get up and go to a shelf, grabbing a box of tissues there. "You spend more time together with him then any other girl in the village." I point out, sitting back down in the chair.

I hand her the box and she takes it, sniffling as she pulls one of the tissues from the box.

"I don't know anymore." She sobs, blowing her nose. She balls the used tissue up and then uses a fresh one to wipe her eyes. "Before, whenever we were together he listened, and he never once looked like he wasn't listening to me. Now, recently that's been gone, and the only time he seems to be paying attention is when he and I are intimate…" She trails off, admitting how far they've gone with their relationship.

_He must've been the one to put her up to having sex. She doesn't seem like the type that'd want to do something like that. Sasuke probably did it with the real intention of 'practicing' so when he propositioned me he'd know what he was doing, but I can't tell her that. If I do she'll just think that I'm jealous of her and say I'm trying to break them up for my own reasons. And while it is true that I'm trying to break them up, it's because he's a rotten cesspool of a person, and she deserves better, __**not**__ because I want to date him._

I keep my thoughts to myself, and instead I keep my face and voice compassionate.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I ask.

Sakura wipes her eyes and blows her nose again before continuing.

"Whenever I've seen you and Naruto-kun together you always seem like you're really happy. I just thought that their might be some secret to a relationship that I don't know."

"Naruto and I have really been taking our relationship slowly." I explain to her. "We haven't done 'this or that' yet and Naruto hasn't even asked about it."

Sakura sniffles, using another tissue to wipe her eyes.

"Sasuke-kun started asking about that about six months ago, and I didn't want to lose him, so I reluctantly agreed." She explains.

I shake my head slowly.

"I don't think Sasuke-kun is cheating on you, everyone knows you're together, and there isn't a girl I can think of in our generation that would willingly break up a relationship like that, even Ino wouldn't."

Sakura sniffles again.

"Thank you, but I can't be so sure anymore…" She trails off, despair filling her tone again.

"Do you really love Sasuke-kun?" I ask, and she nods.

"I do, but I don't want to think about him leaving me like I'm a used toy that he's gotten bored with." She laments.

I feel horrible, a feeling of absolute depression over being the cause of her sadness.

_I can't bring myself to confirm her fears and tell her that Sasuke likes me and is waiting on __**me**__ to come to __**him**__._

"What do you see in Sasuke-kun?" I ask curiously, trying to make her sound happier.

"He's handsome, he's strong, he's cool; he's the ideal boy. When Sasuke-kun asked me out every girl our age was jealous and shot me dirty looks." Sakura explains, cracking a small smile.

"The only thing I see in him is arrogance and an over-inflated ego."

"He's a genius shinobi, one of the best shinobi to ever come out of our village."

"He has the personality of a tree stump, he was like that before I left, and it's one of the only things that didn't change while I was gone." I counter her. "He's one of the most ugly-on-the-inside people I've ever met, and he lost his whole family when he was six, that is bound to have caused some kind of emotional trauma."

The pink haired girl nods solemnly. She wipes her eyes and nods, looking up at the ceiling.

"You're right, I have to be more patient with him and give him the time he needs." She says, standing up and nodding to herself. "I have to be there for him."

I lean over the table, and my mouth literally drops open, and if it were a cartoon it would've hit the table, broken through it and hit the floor with a 'BONG' in disbelief. I quickly master my emotions and close my slack jaw. Sakura turns toward me and bows to me.

"Thank you for your time and your advice." She says.

I stand up and try to put as much honesty and sincerity in my voice.

"You're welcome…" I speak.

Sakura bows again, and I motion toward the door.

"I'll show you out." I offer, and Sakura nods.

I lead Sakura through the Hokage home and to the front door. She slips into her shoes at the door, and stops and looks at me a moment at the door.

"Good night, be careful on your walk home."

She smiles at me.

"Good night, I hope you have an enjoyable evening. Thank you again for the advice."

I wave my dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, I won't tell anyone about what we talked about either." I assure Sakura, and she smiles.

"Thank you." She says, bowing a final time before she turns and opens the front door.

She leaves the home and closes the door behind her and into the cooler night air. I lock the front door and turn back toward the living room, letting out a sigh of relief. I walk away from the and toward the living room. Very quickly I enter into the living room to find Naruto, Minato and Kushina sitting on the sofa together, a familial atmosphere surrounding them. I stand in the doorway for a moment, looking at the scene before me, a thought occurs to me.

_Before I would've thought that they're a family, and that I really shouldn't be here, because I'm not a part of their family. Now, I realize that was wrong, I have a family, it's been here and I just never realized it._

The three of them notice me, and all of them have a concerned look on their face as they stare at me standing in the doorway.

"Is something wrong Hina-hime?" Naruto asks with concern in his voice.

I shake my head no, smiling an honest smile at them.

"No, nothing's wrong, I was just thinking how lucky I am."

The three of them smile, an honest and welcoming smile.

_My family…_

With that, I sit down for a family night with the Namikaze family, my family.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning my alarm goes off at 7:00. I turn the alarm off and get up, going through my morning routine of showering and getting dressed before I leave my bedroom and head for the kitchen. Since both Kushina and Minato start early, Kushina usually has breakfast cooked and ready by 7:30, which is good because both Naruto and I have to leave the manor early to meet Haruka for morning exercises. Though, I have nearly an hour before the 9:00 team meeting.

I eat a calm breakfast with Naruto, and I even help clean up the meal once Kushina and Minato leave the manor. With half an hour to spare, Naruto and I leave the Hokage manor and head toward our old normal meeting point.

We walk to the training ground, and we make small talk during the short trip. When we arrive at 8:50 I find that both Shino and Haruka are already at the training ground, awaiting Naruto and me. Haruka now wears a black Jounin uniform complete with vest and a headband on her forehead, rather then her normal ANBU uniform with mask.

"Good morning." I greet them, and we all exchange greetings.

"We have a meeting scheduled with Hokage-dono in half an hour." Haruka informs us. "We need to get moving, we can't keep the Hokage waiting."

Shino, Naruto and I all nod our affirmation, and the four of us head back into the village proper and toward the tower.

On the way back to the tower, I notice that people look at me differently. In the morning, there were so few people that it I didn't notice it, but now with more people in the streets, and being with the three of them, it's much clearer to me now. On the trip to the tower, people don't glare at me the way they used to before I left the village.

_Is it because I left the village and disappeared for four years, or maybe the village forgot about me? Either case isn't that bad for me. As long as my presence here is kept secret, then people won't think I'm the Jinchuriki and I can walk in public without having to worry about being glared at like I've got some disease._

Before I even realize it we're at the tower, and Haruka leads us into the tower without the slightest hesitation. When we enter into the tower, in the lobby I notice Kakashi Hatake and his squad walking toward the front doors, leaving the tower.

_I'll never get used to seeing Akamaru wolf-sized now. I still keep thinking of him as the little puppy that used to ride on Kiba's head under his hood, now Kiba rides __**him**__ like a horse._

Sasuke looks toward me, a feeling of desire flaring into his eyes for a moment, there and gone in nearly an instant, and a chill runs down my spine.

_Would he be so brave to actually approach me and ask me out with Sakura and Naruto standing right here?_

The four of them walk by us without a single word shared between us, and I feel myself release a sigh of relief when we hit the stairs and are thus long out of earshot of Squad 7 and its motley crew of shinobi.

Shino leans in toward me with an uncharacteristic curious air about him.

"You appeared rather anxious about something when Squad 7 and particularly Sasuke Uchiha passed us by." He points out in a whisper.

_Damn he's observant! I guess it's to be expected that he would notice, he isn't as simple minded as Naruto can be when he's relaxed, and Haruka doesn't have eyes in the back of her head._

"I'm fine." I assuage my teammate.

He stands straight, and his right hand leaves his pocket and pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose. An air of calm replacing the curiosity that seemed to float around him.

"I consider you my friend Hinata, and if something bothers you should feel free to discuss the subject with me without fear of recrimination or reprisal." He informs me.

_He must think that I'm freaked out by him or his bugs._

I shake my head no.

"It's absolutely nothing to do with you Shino, please trust me on that."

He nods in acceptance, keeping quiet because we approach the office of the Hokage, and the two Chunin who stand outside his office stand stone faced, and Shino doesn't want to disturb them or cause a problem. The guard closest to our group glances to Haruka, and she clears her throat before she speaks.

"My name is Haruka Misume." She introduces herself using a false identity that I can only imagine was created to conceal her after the Uchiha tragedy. "My squad and I are here for our 9:00 scheduled meeting with the Hokage."

The guard motions toward the door across the hall from the Hokage's office.

"You should wait in the waiting room until someone comes to see you." The guard says.

"All right." Haruka agrees.

She leads the three of us into the waiting room. The waiting room is a rather spacious room with comfortable padded chairs that surround a solid stained oak coffee table. We all take seats in the chairs, Naruto and I sitting across the table from Shino and Haruka. The chair is comfortable, and once the four of us sit down a sort of silence falls between us, until I choose to break it and speak up.

"Haruka, do you know what the meeting could be about? What would the Hokage want to see us for?"

Haruka looks to me, and then to Naruto and Shino.

"It could be a mission briefing, though if it isn't a mission that concerns Akatsuki it'll have to be something fairly menial, since you're still a genin, Hinata." Haruka points out, and I wince at the mention of my rank.

"I don't think ranks would matter much." Naruto says, putting his hands behind his heads and leaning back in the chair. "I think he wants to talk to us about our next move against Akatsuki."

Shino looks toward Naruto, his face set in the perpetual neutral expression.

"Have you heard your father discuss anything that might offer an insight to the topic of this meeting?"

Naruto, showing how much he's changed, understands what Shino said without having to pause to think about it, and doesn't miss a beat, so to speak.

"No." Naruto says, shaking his head. "Dad's been spending a lot of time out, and when he does come home he doesn't want to talk about stuff that has to do with work, and I understand. He wants to enjoy his time with his family and all…" He trails off.

Both Haruka and Shino appear to understand that, as neither of them speaks for a long moment, and then the Chunin guard pokes his head into the room.

"The Hokage will see you all now." He informs us.

Haruka nods, and she motions for us to stand and follow her. We do so, and she leads us across the hall and into the Hokage's office. The guard stops at the door, and he closes the door behind us. Once the door is closed I look toward the Hokage, and seeing him behind the desk, the man looks stressed. He sits in his chair, leaning over his desk with his head looking down at the desk, his hands on his ears, as though his arms are propping his body up.

_We were up late last night, and I doubt he slept as long as I did, it's no wonder he's so tired._

"Hokage-dono…?" Haruka speaks and her words hang in the air, and he seems to start, as though he was woken up from a light doze.

_He said last night he's got a lot on his mind, and he wouldn't go into specifics. Like Naruto said, he doesn't talk shop after hours._

"Dad…" Naruto begins. "You all right?" He trails off, his words too hanging in the air, though his voice is filled with concern, the concern of a son for his father.

He nods, putting on a poker face and seems to wake up.

"I'm fine; I just didn't sleep well last night."

He sighs explosively, looking down at his desk again before he looks up and scans the four of us assembled before him.

"I've called the four of you here because something has happened that I feel the four of you would be best suited to deal with." He explains to us.

_If it's about the four of us, it has to be Akatsuki._

"Has Akatsuki made a move?" I ask, and the man shakes his head.

"It isn't Akatsuki." He says, a hint of dread in his voice.

The resulting silence is palpable.

_Oh no, what now?_


	25. Chapter 25

(Well, this is chapter 25. The turnaround on this one was a little faster due to the Holidays being over with. Now for self promotion. Anyone who is a fan of Claymore and enjoys my writing style should check out Ghosts of the Past, it's a story I plug away at when I'm not writing anything else. Next, for those into Sekirei, I've got a fic there as well. Next, I do appreciate the reviews, but try to make them more then 2 words, and try to at least put some thought into them. It's nice to know you like the chapters and all, but the same 2 word review for every chapter doesn't really help me as a writer. That said, I can't stop you from writing them, so you can do what you like. Finally, comments and criticism are always welcome, so enjoy the chapter.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 25: Shinobi and Sounds

The four of us stand in the Hokage's office, a palpable silence having fallen over us since the Hokage made his ominous statement.

"Ever since Orochimaru's death, the Land of Rice Fields and the Village Hidden in the Sound have been in nearly constant chaos." Minato explains. "That strife and chaos has no doubt been the result of Orochimaru's former subordinates fighting for control of both his organization and the resources it controls." He pauses a moment. "Konoha's military strength has only recently recovered in the last two years, and the council and I didn't want to risk uniting the currently warring factions against a common foe so we've been content to sit back and watch them kill each other. Unfortunately in the last few days the amount of strife and chaos has dramatically decreased, and the entire village council is in agreement that some leadership structure has finally formed and brought all of Orochimaru's subordinates under his control. I'm with the council in the belief that if they are united, they may try to strike against Konoha or one of our allies, and many of the other nations consider Orochimaru once a Konoha shinobi, so we should be the ones to deal with this new regime."

Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"This is the source of our mission, Hokage-dono?" Shino asks, and Minato nods.

"I want the four of you to go to the border with the Land of Rice Fields and meet with the border guards there. Once the border guards show you the safest crossing, you'll cross into the Land of Rice Fields and search out whatever could put an end to the chaos that has gone on for so long, and once you learn as much as you can about it, you're to return to the Land of Fire." He explains. "Your mission is simple reconnaissance, and your orders are to avoid conflict at all costs." He continues. "Though, I shouldn't have to add that combat can't always be avoided…" He pauses. "You leave in three hours, any questions?"

The four of us shake our heads no, and Minato waves his hand in dismissal.

"You're dismissed." He says.

With that, the four of us leave the Hokage's office and make our way through the tower. During the relatively short walk from the Hokage's office to the streets, my mind focuses on Sasuke, and the fact that Minato saw fit not to send them with us.

_At least he ISN'T coming. I could deal with Kiba, Akamaru, Sakura and even Kakashi, but to be on a mission with that emo psycho._

I remember the last time I fought the boy, the strange curse mark and the insanity that appeared in his eyes, his obliviousness to the fires that he himself started, and the fact that he didn't seem to care if he burned the village to the ground, so long as he could beat me.

I shiver, and Naruto looks at me out of the left side of his eyes.

"You okay, Hina-hime?" He asks, slight concern coming to his voice.

"I'm fine, just felt a chill." I quickly explain.

Naruto nods slowly, as though he doesn't really believe what I've just said.

"OK…" He trails off, his voice telling me that he doesn't really believe what I've told him as well.

He doesn't say anything else, and neither Haruka nor Shino decide to speak up, so I am again left with my thoughts.

_If Sasuke has only improved since back then, then fighting him off would be less than enjoyable, and if Sakura ever learned that I knew all along that Sasuke has a crush on me and didn't say anything to her after the talk we had, she'd probably want me to take a long walk off a short pier._

The four us leave the tower and hit the streets. Haruka stops and the three of us follow suit before our captain looks at each of us in turn, meeting our eyes with a look of confidence in her gaze.

"I want you back here in two and a half hours, packed and ready to go, understood?" She orders.

The three of us don't argue.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It's been nearly two and a half hours since Haruka, Shino, Naruto and I all split up, and Naruto and I currently walk back to the tower with our backpacks on our backs. We both packed separately, and we have enough supplies for a week long venture into the wilderness.

Ahead in the distance, Shino and Haruka stand with the Hokage's tower behind them. Looking up at it, an ominous feeling wells up in my stomach, to the point where I can't look away, and the next thing I know, Naruto is a few paces in front of me, looking at me with real concern in his eyes.

"Are you all right Hina-hime?" Naruto asks, leaning forward slightly while he looks into my eyes.

I shake my head quickly, pulling myself out of my delirium.

"I'm fine. I just had a feeling, that's all." I explain.

Naruto stands up straight.

"What kind of feeling?" He asks, casually curious.

"I don't really know…" I respond, shrugging my shoulders. "…almost like something bad is going to happen on this mission."

Naruto slips his hands into his pockets.

"Like what? It's a simple recon mission."

Again I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't really know…" I trail off.

"Is something wrong?" Haruka's voice enters my ears, and I nearly jump when I see both of them within five feet of us.

They crossed the fifteen foot barrier between where Naruto and I were talking and where they were standing without a sound, and did it without even alerting me they were coming.

"No, nothing's wrong." I quickly speak up before Naruto can.

Haruka nods once.

"All right then, we're heading out immediately."

Naruto, Shino and I nod, and with that the four of us take to the rooftops. Naruto, Shino and I follow Haruka, the four of us moving as unit and looking more like four ANBU rather than formal shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Haruka leads us northwest, taking us to the northwest village gate and ultimately the border with the Land of Rice Fields and the Village Hidden in the Sound.

We hit the gate and get through it without a problem, and once we're through the gate we take to the trees. Haruka remains on point, and through hand signals communicates to the rest of the group that she wants us alert and ready. We acknowledge through hand signals, and we keep pace with her, moving through the trees like wraiths. As we move I use my Byakugan to act as field scout, scanning the surroundings for chakra sources or anything that I can see out of the ordinary. While my eyes work on seeing nothing special, my mind drifts off to another subject.

_Who could've taken over Orochimaru's organization? From what I remember there were those four shinobi who erected that barrier during the Chunin Exams, they seemed like his lieutenants. It's possible that one of them managed to kill off the other three and took control of the entire group. Though that would be the best option, because it would mean there are three less enemy shinobi to deal with that could cause problems, it seems like whenever I'm involved things always seem to be the worst possible situation, at least when it comes to missions._

I blink the thoughts away, shutting down the train of thought due to its obvious lack of results, and I instead focus on my duty, scanning the surroundings and searching for anyone dumb enough to try and attack us.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Even moving at Haruka's ANBU pace, it takes several hours before I can spot the border guard patrol at the edge of my range.

"Taicho, I've just located the border patrol group, and it appears as though they are themselves and not under the influence of a jutsu or spies in disguise." I report to Haruka.

The Uchiha woman nods.

"We'll go in slow, have our meeting with them, find this crossing point and go from there, understand?"

The three of us nod without a word.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Man, this assignment sucks, being stuck on border patrol is the worst." One of the border guards mutters to his teammates.

The four of them are dressed in normal Konoha shinobi uniforms, dark pants, dark long sleeve shirts and green vests with headbands on their foreheads. All of them appear to be in their mid twenties, and none of them appear to be too happy. One has brown hair, another is blonde. The third guy has obviously dyed aqua blue hair and the last has hair that's a similar color to Shino's trench coat. The white haired guy has the only visible scar on his face, running down his left eye and cutting a section of the eyebrow off from the rest of it. All in all, they look like four bored shinobi who haven't seen action in months.

Currently, Naruto, Haruka, Shino and I all hide around the border guard's location. Haruka decided it would be best to watch them for a bit before announcing our presence, as their time away from the village may've led them astray.

"We don't even have a kunoichi on our squad either." Another guard grumbles. "At least if we had a nice looking chick here, things wouldn't be that bad, but instead I gotta stare at your three ugly mugs until we get back to the village." The blonde responds to the blue haired guard.

The white haired one flexes his eyebrows, and he looks up at a flying bug that slowly hums overhead and recognition flashes behind his eyes.

"That's…" He mutters.

He glances around nervously, and upon closer inspection I see the bug he examined is one of Shino's flying kikai, and he probably recognized it from his time spent during a mission with one of Shino's relatives.

"Whoever's hiding, come out and show yourselves!" The white haired guard calls out to us.

Tension fills the four of them, and they move their hands toward their weapons, preparing for an attack when Haruka gives a signal, and the four of us emerge from our hiding positions, revealing ourselves to the border guards.

The four of them relax upon seeing Haruka, the tension disappearing from their faces and their hands drifting back to their sides.

"What's the password?" The blonde guard asks.

"Fluttering Leaf." Haruka responds, and the blonde nods.

Once the two of them exchange the password, the air around us seems to relax somewhat.

"How's the border been, any recent activity?" Haruka inquires, and the blonde shakes his head no.

"It's been quiet, **really** quiet." He explains.

"Are there border guards on the other side?" Haruka continues, and again the man shakes his head no.

"My team and I have been out here for four months, and we haven't seen hide or hair of anyone else since we got here."

"You've done well in remaining vigil this entire time, despite the lack of activity."

The white haired shinobi glances at Naruto, Shino and I. His eyes seem to just drift over Shino, upon noticing Naruto surprise flashes behind his eyes at seeing the son of the 4th Hokage standing in front of him. When his eyes land on me, however a totally different expression appears in his eyes and on his features.

Haruka shifts her attention to the white haired shinobi, glaring at the man and emitting a noticeable amount of bloodlust. The white haired shinobi easily picks up on Haruka's obvious desire to kill, and he quickly turns his face toward her.

"What'd I do?" He asks innocently.

"Do you have a problem with one of my shinobi?" Haruka asks, obviously irritated.

"No." He responds, up and away. "I just thought the fox-girl died years ago, that's all."

_Well, if word isn't out by now, then it will be by the time we get back to the village._

Naruto narrows his eyes and opens his mouth, but Shino speaks up before a syllable can be uttered from Naruto's mouth.

"It would be unwise for you to refer to someone who imprisons a creature of such power in such a tone." Shino suggests.

The white haired shinobi glares at Shino, clearly unafraid of the Aburame or any of his abilities.

"What business is it of yours?" The White haired guard asks.

"Our kikai are excellent weapons, without an overt move I could have the four of you covered before you could even draw your weapons." He taunts.

The blonde guard shifts, and Haruka steps between him and Shino, and I can see her Sharingan in her eyes, and almost as much bloodlust coming from them as when Gaara of the Desert released the sand demon inside of him.

"It would be wise if you followed my subordinate's advice, as he isn't the only one who didn't take kindly to that snide remark of yours." Haruka informs him.

I look to Naruto to see his teeth clenched, and blood dribbling down his fingers from his closed fists. The amount of restrained bloodlust coming from him is obviously noticeable.

"Hey, relax man." The white haired guard advises Naruto.

Naruto flinches, with Haruka opening her mouth probably being the only thing stopping him from striking the guard.

"You should watch your mouth." Haruka advises. "The Hokage has eyes and ears _everywhere_, and you should be thankful Hinata already told both of these young men already about her prisoner or I'd be forced to rip your head from your shoulders for violating the Hokage's law."

The white haired guard quickly masters his emotions and nods.

"It won't happen again." He quickly assuages her.

"Good." Haruka says with a murderous smile on her face.

There's a moment of silence between us, and Shino clears his throat, breaking the mood.

"It would be prudent for one of you men to take us to the location of the most suitable crossing point." Shino says, changing the subject.

"Right, follow me." The blonde says before he starts off into the forest.

The border guards remain in their position, and Haruka, Shino, Naruto and I all follow their leader through the forest along the border line. Haruka intentionally leaves a few strides of distance between her and the blonde border guard, the only showing of her distrust and probable personal dislike of the man.

"Thank you." I whisper to both Shino and Naruto, and both of them react in nearly identical fashion.

They both shrug their shoulders, saying 'We're friends.' At that, I smile at them, and part of me still doesn't believe that I really have friends, as much as I hate to admit it.

The guard leads us to a small river roughly eight feet across, and he suddenly stops. We're still technically in the Land of Fire, so we haven't crossed the border or risked an international episode, yet.

"Is this the spot?" Haruka asks, and the blonde man nods.

"It is, it has the best cover on the other side of the border as well as the most discreet crossing point."

"Thank you, we'll take it from here." Haruka says. "Remember…" She begins.

"I know." The blonde interrupts. "I have never heard of any of you, you were never here."

Haruka nods.

"Right, very good." She praises him, sounding condescending.

The blonde guard takes off, heading back to his men without another word, leaving the four of us alone. Haruka looks to me, locking her eyes on me, she just nods.

"Do it." She says simply, and I completely understand.

The veins around my eyes bulge as I activate my Byakugan and I look into the distance beyond the border, and I check thoroughly for any sentries or hidden traps that may've been set up to cause any unpleasantness.

Looking through the Byakugan, I search ahead of and around our group, and other than the four Konoha border guards; there isn't a soul around us.

"We're clear." I confirm for Haruka, who quickly looks around.

"All right, we're camping here for tonight."

Naruto looks to Haruka with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Haruka-taicho, why don't we just cross now?" Naruto asks.

"We're heading into enemy territory Naruto." She points out. "Personally I'd rather have a full night's rest while we're still in friendly territory. That way we can be completely refreshed before starting the reconnaissance portion of our mission." She explains. "We'll wake up one hour before sunrise and cross at first light, any questions?"

The three of us shake our heads no.

"All right…" Haruka begins. "Once we're in the Land of Rice Fields, Hinata will be our field scout; she'll use her Byakugan to keep an eye on our surroundings." She explains, turning her head toward me. "Since we'll be relying on you so heavily, you won't be in the guard rotation for tonight, so get a full night's sleep and wake up rested tomorrow."

Shino raises his arms to shoulder level, and kikai escape his sleeves and fly into the air in a tiny swarm.

"My allies will establish a perimeter." Shino informs Haruka.

"I'll get started on camp." Naruto begins, making the sign of the ram. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Ten shadow clones pop into existence around Naruto, and each of them goes to work without a single word of complaint or questioning.

_Before he would've had to spend ten minutes dividing up the responsibilities between clones and dealt with their arguments, now they just do their job without question. But I wonder, is that due to a change in his mindset, or a rise of ability as a shinobi?_

Haruka had turned her gaze to the forest while I was watching my teammates, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"Um, Haruka-taicho, about the watch rotation…" I trail off, and the woman looks to with a stern expression.

"I've said it once, and I won't repeat myself more than once Hinata, you're going to be the lynchpin of our team, and we can't risk you being tired or exhausted in the least."

_I can't just fold, that's the old me._

"I know Haruka-taicho, but I've got stamina reserves beyond normal people, I can go on less sleep and I can fight longer than normal people can, so I can do my part!"

Haruka glares at me with annoyance in her eyes, and I feel a hand from behind me touch me on my shoulder. I turn to look to see Shino standing there, thankfully his kikai don't still stream from his sleeves.

"Hinata, Haruka-taicho is correct in her assignments." Shino reminds me in a level voice. "While the demon being imprisoned inside of you does grant you reserves of strength beyond normal shinobi, your role tomorrow may require you to dip into those reserves tomorrow, and if those reserves are already depleted before tomorrow, we could find ourselves in a mortal situation that could've been avoided." He explains concisely.

"Very well put." Haruka comments.

_I guess I can't convince them to let me share the burden. The least I can do is do what they want me to and be well rested tomorrow, even if they won't be as well rested because of it._

"All right." I assent, and Haruka nods.

"If that conversation is settled, help set up camp Hinata."

"Yes, ma'am!" I enthusiastically respond.

With the help of the extra ten bodies, Shino is able to focus completely on manipulating and controlling his kikai, ensuring that they patrol in a manner that leaves no gaps in their protection pattern. While helping to set up camp, I force myself not to blush when working with either the shadow clones or the real Naruto, and I remember my conversation with Kushina before I left the village and the small box with fifty one pills in it now in my backpack.

"Will you ever mature?" The Kyuubi's voice whispers in my ears, sounding more annoyed than angry.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Just inside half an hour later the camp is set up and ready to go, and two of the shadow clones make their way through the woods, lugging rather large pieces of wood between them. They dump the firewood in the middle of our circle shaped camp. The clones dispel soon afterward, and Haruka goes to work creating a fire pit, and she uses some of the larger pieces of wood to set up simple chairs around the fire pit.

Using a low power fire ninjutsu, Haruka starts a fire, and motions for the three of us to sit down with her. The remaining shadow clones disappear with puffs of smoke, and the four of us sit down around the fire. We all have our packs handy, grabbing ration bars and canteens from them and we begin eating dinner.

After the first bite of the ration bar, Naruto groans in distaste.

"Man, every time I take a bite of one of these things, it makes me yearn for some of Hina-hime's cooking." Naruto mutters, taking another bite and washing it down with a mouthful of canteen water.

"Hina-hime?" Haruka asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Um…" I mutter, looking down and avoiding her gaze.

Haruka looks to Naruto, who scratches his cheek with his ring finger, holding the ration bar with his middle and pointer fingers on his right hand.

"Uh…" Naruto says, avoiding Haruka's gaze as well.

"Anyway, we can eat good food when we get back to Konoha, so deal with the ration bars, they're good for you." She reminds him, taking a bite of the nutrient rich bar.

We eat in a comfortable silence, and I eat one of the ration bars along with an MRE, nothing that really tastes good, but it is better than starving. Once the four of us are finished eating, Haruka looks around at the three of us.

"All right Hinata, get some rest, the three of us will watch the camp while you sleep."

"All right." I assent. "Good night all."

Shino nods and I get up. Grabbing my pack I walk to my tent. Naruto gets up and walks to my tent. He stops there, and I stop near the entrance, and he looks me up and down, and then kicks the dirt with his left foot.

"Um, good night, Hina-hime." Naruto says.

_What does he…oh I see, he wants a good night kiss, how cute._

"Naru-kun…" I begin, and he looks at me with curiosity in his eyes.

I move in, bringing my lips to his for a quick peck. He nearly jumps in surprise, and by the time I pull back, I can see him trying to decide whether I read him or if I wanted to kiss him on my own.

"Good night." I whisper to him, and he quickly nods.

"Yeah, good night." He returns the farewell.

I slip into my tent, closing the zipper on my tent behind me. Inside the tent I have my sleeping bag unfurled and open, ready for me to slip into and go to sleep. I set my pack near the corner of the tent. I slip into my bag, and folding the bag over me I grab the zipper near the bottom of the bag and zip the bag up, closing it around me.

_Am I really doing everything I can though?_

The thought stays with me as I lay my head down and close my eyes, forcing myself to go to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The damp smell of the now familiar underground bunker is the first sign that I'm once again going to speak with the Kyuubi. Looking down I see my feet are submerged up to my ankles in water, and above pipes run overhead, all of them heading down the hall in front of me. In the distance I can see the large open room, and at the rear of that room the giant bars that restrain the Kyuubi No Kitsune from getting out and wreaking havoc on everyone.

The Kyuubi's growl resonates throughout the hallway, emanating from the cell at the end of the hall. I walk down the hall, my steps plodding in the ankle deep water. Before long I'm in the cavern like chamber, and the demon's red eyes glow from behind the darkness behind the bars. The monster opens its mouth, revealing rows of shiny, very sharp teeth.

"What do you want?" I ask the demon as it grins at me.

It lets out a low growl.

"How can you refer to me in such a tone?"

"I have no respect or fear of you, that's how!"

The monster's anger is instant and apparent. It lets out a roar and lunges against the bars. The impact resonates through the chamber, and its claws point out between the bars. It bites against the bars, but the bars hold, as they always do. The Kyuubi growls and pulls its claws back, its teeth slipping back behind the bars.

"If not for this accursed seal, than I would've eaten you and that pathetic place you call home years ago!" It growls at me.

Unsurprisingly, I believe what the demon says with absolute confidence.

"What do you want?" I ask again.

It exhales a low breath, sounding more like a growl than an animal breathing.

"I've been watching you, and I want to know why you haven't simply taken that bastard's child as your mate if you desire him."

_It even cares about that? _

"I don't want to do that with him unless the feeling is mutual."

The fox's laugh resonates from behind the bars, a demonic chuckle that's accompanied by its teeth filled smile.

"You must be blind." It begins, getting it's laughter under control. "The boy's physical desire for you is obvious even to me, and I'm not a member of your pathetic species!"

"I don't want to end up pregnant now."

"What purpose is there to mating other than having progeny?"

"What does that matter?" I ask, and the demon scoffs.

"That's none of your concern."

"Why have you brought me here?"

"My reasons are none of your concern, host."

"Hinata…" Naruto's voice whispers in the wind inside the bunker.

"It would appear that the outside world is calling."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I awake to the sight of Naruto kneeling over me, a neutral expression on his face.

"Time to wake up Hina-chan." He says, cocking a smile.

I sit up and smile back at him.

"Thank you, Naru-kun."

He nods and slips out of my tent and for those few seconds I can look through the open zipper to see that the sky is mostly dark.

_We were supposed to wake up an hour before dawn according to Haruka-taicho, so it stands to reason that it's an hour before dawn is supposed to arrive._

I get up and pack my things, rolling up my sleeping bag and going through an abbreviated morning routine. Once I'm done with that, I quickly get out of my tent and pack it up as well. While I collapse my own tent, I look around to see Shino and Haruka doing the same, though Naruto's tent is already gone, his pack resting on the ground near the fire pit.

_He must've had the last guard shift, and rather than just stand around he probably had a shadow clone or two help him to pack his things up and get ready for the morning. _

Thinking about the guard rotation, I feel a pang of guilt inside, at forcing the three of them to take longer shifts while I slept the night away.

_You were ordered to sleep the whole night by your superior, remember? If you had woken up and tried to assist in the rotation, then it would've been insubordination during a mission, something that isn't looked to well upon by the village council, who already has enough reasons to hate your guts._

_You have to make sure you do your job perfectly today, that they didn't let you sleep the whole night for no reason. If you don't and you let them down, it could mean their deaths._

I finish packing my things and stow my tent on my pack. I quickly shoulder the pack, and once it's secure on my back I go to work helping Haruka and Shino close down their tents and pack their things.

Before the sun even begins to rise, the four of us are packed and ready to go.

"All of you, get some breakfast and drink something, dawn is still half an hour off." Haruka says.

We each sit down around the now burnt out fire pit. We each break out our canteens and pull out our ration bars. It's obvious that Naruto still doesn't like the dismal tasting bars, but we all chow down on them, knowing that the bars will provide our bodies with necessary nutrients and proteins. Naruto scowls while he eats, and Shino keeps his face neutral. Haruka watches Naruto out of the corner of her eye, making sure that she doesn't have a repeat incident of the night before, but Naruto holds his tongue at the bad tasting bar, consuming the whole ration bar without complaint.

With our meal finished in ten minutes, Haruka is the first to stand, looking around at the three of us.

"We're moving out." She says simply.

Haruka motions toward the border, and looks toward me.

"Hinata, if you would?" She asks, and I nod.

The veins around my eyes bulge, and insight fills my vision. I look out ahead of us, across the border line and into the land of sound. Seeing the area ahead is oddly clear, I look around us, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Seeing everything around is clear, I nod toward Haruka.

"We're clear; there isn't anything around or in front of us for over three hundred meters."

"Understood." Haruka informs us. "Follow me; we move in a line, I'm on point, Naruto you're behind me, Hinata behind him, and Shino you pick up the rear. Any questions?"

We move into the formation specified by Haruka, and the four of us take to the trees. Without a word we cross the invisible line separating the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire. We move in silence, communicating by hand signals. Haruka has us move at a relatively 'normal' pace, allowing me plenty of time to search our surroundings and make sure we aren't walking into a trap. I watch our surroundings like a hawk searching for its next meal, making the most of my fully rested mind and body so that my attention never once falters.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It's been four hours since we entered into the Land of Rice Fields, our ultimate goal being the place that we believe to be the Village Hidden in the Sound. Though, we don't know exactly where the village itself is, Konoha does have its spies, and that spy network has indicated the probable location of the village itself. It's to that location that we now head, hoping to locate the village and find out just what caused the sudden cessation of hostilities inside the nation.

There's a shimmer inside my range, a wraith like movement.

"Everyone stop!" I call out, and the three of them land on their respective branches.

Haruka looks back at me, a look of questioning in her eyes.

"What is it Hinata?" Haruka asks.

"Two hundred forty seven meters east of our location, I thought I saw something."

"What did you see Hinata?" Haruka asks.

"I saw a shimmer in the air, without my full attention on it I couldn't tell if it was a ninja using a concealment ninjutsu or just a trick of the wind." I explain.

"I'm not taking any chances; scour the area with your eyes Hinata. I want to know if there's so much as a squirrel over there gathering nuts."

I nod, turning my face and body toward the source of the movement. I look out through my Byakugan, doing just as I was told. I scour the area with my eyes, focusing my full attention on the area where I noticed the movement.

"Naruto, send two shadow clones to check the area out." Haruka orders.

Naruto makes the sign of the ram, and two shadow clones pop into existence. I continue to scour the area while Naruto sends out his shadow clones. I feel something brush my shoulder, and I nearly jump out of my skin in surprise to see Shino standing behind me on my left, his arm hovering above my shoulder.

"My kikai have been agitated." He informs me. "I've released a small amount of them to search along with Naruto's shadow clones."

I nod in understanding.

"I hope we're just overreacting to all of this." I mutter to him, meaning every word of it.

I glance to Haruka and I find her looking forward through the jungle with her Sharingan in her eyes. The woman searches the area in front of her with her eerie eyes, restrained bloodlust seeping from them. Both Naruto and Shino look around, trying to find something while I look near and far, trying to find whatever it was that caused the motion in my field of vision. In the distance I can see the two shadow clones and a small cluster of kikai above them moving toward the original motion area. I watch and scan, trying to sweep that section of my range with a fine tooth comb.

_I'm not going to let someone sneak up on us because of my stupid mistake. If there's something out there, I'll find it before it can sneak up on us and kill us, no matter what it takes! _

_Not that it'd be much better if we die because someone else makes a mistake…_

_NO, I can't think like that! _

I scan the area again and again, reaching out with my senses to try and locate the source of the shimmer, but I can't find anything out of the ordinary.

_You're missing something; something has to be out there, LOOK AGAIN!_

In the distance the Naruto shadow clones reach the specified area, and begin to search. The clones search the area in detail, looking for something wrong, but I can tell that the clones aren't finding anything. After nearly ten minutes of searching, the clones give up and dispel themselves, disappearing in soundless puffs of smoke hundreds of meters of away.

Naruto's eyebrows flinch in acquired knowledge as the experiences of the shadow clones flood his mind.

"My clones couldn't find anything." Naruto reports to Haruka. "They couldn't feel any bloodlust in the area either."

Haruka looks at me with a look of questioning in her eyes.

"The area is still clear, no enemy contacts." I report to Haruka.

Haruka sighs, shaking her head slowly, breathing in obvious relief.

"All right, we're moving out, fall in shinobi." Haruka orders.

Without another word the four of us go into motion. I keep my attention focused, though a single thought nags at me.

_We missed whoever or whatever caused that odd shimmer in the air, and whoever it was somehow KNEW they were being watched and they took off somehow. Although I have no idea how someone could know that I was watching them, especially at over two hundred meters in distance. _

We keep moving, the sun climbing in the sky while we move forward. We move for hours, and its 9:30 in the morning before I notice an encampment in the distance. The closer we move, the more and more vivid the image becomes in my kekkei genkai's vision.

"Haruka-taicho, there's an encampment ahead." I report.

She motions for us to stop, and we do so. We each land on a branch and Haruka moves backward, landing on the same branch as I am in a crouch, her shoulders nearly touching mine.

"Details, Hinata." She requests, her voice a low whisper.

Naruto and Shino remain on their branches, cautiously glancing around and remaining alert. The kikai above our group fans out as Shino manipulates them without a single overt movement.

"They're currently two hundred thirty meters away." I begin my explanation. "It's probably a bandit encampment, there are twenty three tents strewn up in a disorderly manner. The people in the encampment are dressed in haggard looking clothing, and none appear to have bathed recently. There are few women in the camp, and there don't appear to be any prisoners. Those women that are present appear to be concubines of some kind. Weapons are strewn about through the entire site, and there are multiple horses tied up in a single area of the encampment."

"Anything else?" Haruka asks.

"The people seem to be rather angry, though their source of their anger is impossible to determine, even with my eyes."

Haruka nods in understanding.

"All right, we're going to ground, we'll move in close but we aren't going to engage." She informs us all.

The four of us leave the trees and go to ground. Haruka motions for us to assemble in a concealed area, and we follow her orders. Once the four of us are together in a relatively concealed location, Haruka keeps her eyes on me.

"Hinata, can you draw a rough sketch of the encampment?" She asks.

I nod once, extending my pointer finger, I begin to draw lines in the dirt. I'm nearly finished when something strange enters into my area of attention.

_What in the world is that?_

The person and particularly the chakra network he has is nothing like I've ever seen. I focus on the man, and it appears as though he has six arms, and a chakra network that runs through every limb. He wears a uniform identical to the one worn by the four shinobi who accompanied Orochimaru to the Chunin exams, and it takes me a moment to recognize him. It's one of the same four shinobi that erected the flame barrier, only this time there's something different about him. Looking beyond the chakra, there's something different about the seal that rests on his shoulders, it's different than what it was before, glowing orange even though it only rests on his shoulder and hasn't spread like the one on Sasuke Uchiha.

"A sound ninja has entered my vision and is heading into the camp." I report to Haruka and the group.

Haruka's eyes flare at the mention of a sound ninja, and her gaze quickly becomes ice cold again.

"Watch him, and report on what he's doing."

I nod, and I focus my attention on the six armed shinobi as he swaggers into the bandit's encampment. It isn't long before one of the bandits notices the odd looking shinobi, and the bandana wearing bandit glares at the sound shinobi.

"What are YOU doing here?" The man demands.

"Orochimaru-sama has declared you all are to die." He speaks an ultimatum.

Two of his six arms shoot spider like webs from his hands. The webs impact nearby bandits and bind them, wrapping their bodies and pinning their arms to their sides. The men struggle and yell for a few seconds as he leans his head back. A golden metal begins to bubble from his mouth, and the strange shinobi swings his head around over his left shoulder to his right shoulder in a fan formation. From his mouth spews three golden kunai. The kunai impale the three bound bandits through their skulls, and blood spurts from the wounds as their bodies go limp, but are held up by his webs.

"He…" I whisper, watching what's happening like watching a silent movie.

The yells from the now dead bandits draw more of their comrades from inside the tents, and nearly twenty four people begin to rush the six armed shinobi with weapons ready. Chakra concentrates inside his body and he points his arms out in six different directions, and web shoots out from his hands, exploding across the encampment and knocking down whatever is in its way and pinning the bandits to the ground. The bandits use their weapons and hack at the webs, but their weapons don't penetrate the chakra enhanced substance. Once all the bandits are pinned, the strange shinobi jumps up and spits more spider web from his mouth, forming a bridge between two trees using his webs to cover the expanse over the encampment below him fifteen feet in the air. He lands on the bridge, and the mark on his shoulder begins to glow as it spreads across his skin, glowing a strange emerald green color, unlike the orange color Sasuke's glowed when he used it. His chakra network begins to glow brighter and brighter as the seal begins to forcefully extract chakra from his body, causing his supply of useable chakra to nearly quadruple.

Two of the man's hands interlace, and I recognize the hand signs while he breathes in and his chakra concentrates in his stomach. He exhales, and flame spews from his mouth, launching toward the chakra infused webs that cover the encampment. The flames catch on the artificial web and spread like dry kindling. The webs burn and the human beings trapped by it scream in howl in agony as their bodies' burn. The six armed shinobi watches the carnage below with a grin on his face, crossing his top two arms over his chest. People scream in agony and pain, and after a few moments the glowing green vine like seal retracts across his skin to the base of his neck, and his uncrossed arms begin to shake. He looks down and sighs, shaking his head before he reaches into one of his pockets and removes a corked vial of green liquid. The strange man upends the vial and downs the contents in a single gulp. With the contents of the vial down his throat, his entire body seems to settle, and a euphoric expression settles onto his features, in spite of the death and destruction that occurs below. For a long moment he seems to stare off into the distance with a far seeing gaze, his mind nowhere near where he is now, until he blinks twice in rapid succession and his mind seems to snap back to the present.

He turns around on the web walkway and fires a web line from his hand. He swings away from the encampment. I report all of these things as they happen, and Haruka keeps her expression even as I report what I see. The wind blows, and the faint smell of burning meat wafts into my nostrils.

"Well, at least know which direction the village is in." Haruka comments. "And we also know that Konoha's hunch about where the Sound Village is right."

"Shouldn't we do something to put out the fire, maybe save some of their lives?" Naruto suggests.

Haruka looks at him with seriousness in her gaze.

"Maybe, if they were people of the Land of Fire." She responds. "But, those people up there are thugs and criminals, none of them would move to help Konoha if it was in a similar situation." She points out.

Naruto slowly nods, though in his eyes I can see that he doesn't like Haruka's answer, not one bit.

_It must be his father in him, wanting to protect the weak and those that can't protect themselves. It's a quality that will make him a good Hokage someday._

"We're going to skirt that encampment, and we'll follow that shinobi until we can find their base with Hinata's Byakugan."

Naruto, Shino and I all nod our understanding, and Haruka motions for us to move out. She takes the lead, and the three of us fall in line behind her. The four of us skirt the encampment, following Haruka as she moves around the encampment. As we pass the still burning encampment, I try not to look toward it, to keep my vision anywhere BUT the scene of the massacre. It doesn't help matters that I don't even need the Byakugan to see the encampment as we skirt it, and the smell of burning human flesh is so thick in the air I have to force myself not to gag.

Deep down, part of me enjoys the smell, and revels in it, and I force myself not to smile.

_Even after all this time, the demon in me still has some control over my feelings._

I push the happy thoughts aside, and instead I focus on locating the six armed sound shinobi. Using my Byakugan, I locate the signs that the man moved through the area. I keep us moving and following his trail, the shinobi moving in the same general direction that he took from leaving the encampment. We follow his trail as the sun begins to set in the distance, and we haven't seen hide or hair of the sound village or the shinobi himself.

_How the hell did he get away so fast and get out of my sight?_

After nearly an hour of chasing the sound shinobi into the night, Haruka motions for a stop. She motions the four of us down to ground level, and we follow her orders without complaint. She leads us to a fallen tree trunk, checking around inside the tree before nodding to herself.

"We'll camp here tonight." She informs all of us. "Set up camp inside the tree, it will provide cover and concealment, and it'll help to keep us dry if it decides to rain."

The tree is rather large, and Naruto again uses his shadow clones to help set up our camp while Shino deploys his kikai to form a perimeter of sentries. We set up camp within an hour, not using the tents and instead just rolling out our sleeping bags and using our packs as chairs. Naruto moves to gather wood together to start a fire and Haruka quickly stops him.

"A fire will draw too much attention." Haruka reminds him, and he nods in understanding.

"Now that camp is set up." Haruka begins. "Grab some dinner."

We all do as we're told, breaking out our ration bars and canteens, eating the horrid tasting food while Naruto scowls at the taste.

"We'll have a guard rotation…" Haruka begins, swallowing a chunk of the protein bar, her eyes shifting to me. "Hinata, you'll again be out of the guard rotation."

"I understand, Haruka-taicho." I acknowledge her.

"All right, we'll continue the mission tomorrow morning at sunrise." Haruka explains to us.

"All right, but I feel bad about not taking a turn in our guard rotation twice in a row Haruka-taicho." I speak up. "I didn't find anything today even though I was fully rested and if one of you falters because you haven't slept enough."

Haruka glares at me with an expression that tells me she doesn't want to hear what I've got to say.

"Hinata, you saw something today before we found that encampment, and while I don't know who or what it was, my instincts as a shinobi tell me that someone WAS there and they were trying to follow us from a distance but somehow knew that we'd spotted them and they took off before we could find them."

"Who could be capable of something like that?" Naruto asks.

Haruka shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know, but my instincts are hardly ever wrong when it comes to these things."

"Well, that's all the more reason that all of us should get an equal amount of rest, and I can sacrifice a few hours to give each of you a little more rest."

Haruka smiles and shakes her head.

"I appreciate your eagerness, but I'm not going to let you be in the guard rotation, so it isn't open for discussion, and I won't hear any more on this."

I sigh once, nodding in resignation.

_Haruka isn't like Kurenai-sensei; she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep us in line._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I crawl into my sleeping bag, slipping into the bag as far as I can. I pull the oversized sleeping bag up past my eyes, and I settle into the thick insulated bag. As I lie there, I close my eyes and try to drift off to sleep, but my mind travels and I remember an incident during my time spent away from the village.

_I wonder if Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sensei have talked to Minato-dono about that time they pushed me so hard I collapsed, and the Kyuubi's chakra filled me. I don't even really remember what happened, but afterward both of them looked like they'd been in the fight of their lives._

_Maybe I should tell Haruka about that, and let her know that I wouldn't let something like that happen again, so she doesn't have to worry about physically pushing me. Then again, she isn't really concerned with the Kyuubi getting out and taking control, it's just that our reconnaissance strategy relies so heavily on my Byakugan. If we weren't relying on me so heavily I doubt that Haruka would be so strict with me._

I shake my head, clearing my mind. I try to relax into the bag, slowly drifting off to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next thing I know, I'm lying in the middle of a thirty five meter barren circle in the middle of a forest. I feel mentally and physically exhausted, my back on the ground and my eyes staring up at the sky.

I hear movement nearby, and two familiar pairs of feet land near my head. Looking up at both Jiraiya and Tsunade, both of them have cuts and bruises all over their bodies, and both look physically exhausted, though they have stern expressions on their faces.

I take a deep breath, finding the strength to speak.

"What happened to you? The last thing I remember is passing out from sheer exhaustion."

Jiraiya raises his right arm at the elbow, pointing with his right pointer finger past my feet. I shift and move my arms, pushing my upper body up and managing to get into a sitting position. I look to see a path of destruction twenty meters wide cut through the forest, as though a wave of destruction and violence rampaged through the forest, ripping down trees and tearing up the ground.

"What happened?" I ask curiously, managing to sit up.

"You passed out." Tsunade begins. "Then, you were engulfed in a horrible red chakra that surrounded your body and looked as though you became a small version of the Kyuubi. You took off through the forest on a rampage, and you ripped through everything you saw like a force of nature. It took both Jiraiya and me using our summoning jutsu to call out our strongest summons and fight against you." Tsunade finishes.

"Apparently the Kyuubi can only maintain control for so long before it succumbed to the strength of the seal and shrank back into you." Jiraiya finishes.

For a second, I entertain the thought that the two of them are lying. However, looking at them both I can tell that neither of them are lying, and both are deadly serious about what they're saying.

I look down at my hands, and I see them convulsing at the thought of what I've done.

I duck my head, a feeling of absolute misery welling up inside of me.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sensei." I apologize to the both of them. "I'll do whatever I have to make this right and I swear I'll never let it happen again." I try to rationalize.

"We'll have to be more careful in the future." Jiraiya says. "For now however the training is over until all three of us can get patched up."

In spite of their words, the memory of the carnage I caused stays with me even to this day.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Hinata, wake up." Shino's voice enters my ears.

I open my eyes to see the Aburame boy kneeling over me.

"Hinata, wake up." He says again, and I nod, groggily moaning and sitting up.

"I'm awake, you can go wake up the others." I tell Shino, who curtly nods and walks away.

I get up and go through an abridged version of my morning routine, finishing with rolling up and packing my bag on my pack. Looking around, Naruto and Haruka are also going through the motions of breaking camp and removing any signs that we were even here.

It takes twenty minutes for us to clean the area, and after I check the area with my eyes, Haruka has us move off. She leads us in the same direction the sound ninja went, and I keep my mind of the mission, part of me hoping that the sound ninja didn't bother to change directions suddenly during his trip back.

We travel for nearly half a day before I notice something ahead at the edge of my range, something big.

_This might be it…_


	26. Chapter 26

(Well, this is chapter 26. I know I said I'd try and post these quicker but typing 26 pages does take time, add onto that that I have a full time job that has been putting a lot of stress on me as of late. (Worrying about losing my VERY precious and VERY loved job in this economy is a major concern of mine.) Also, I know I shouldn't care two rat's asses, but when people read 2 chapters of my story and say 'You're stealing the whole thing from Team 8' it gets to me. To those who bother to read this, if you think I'm doing nothing but plagiarizing the whole thing, then have me banned from this site and this story taken down. It won't hurt my feelings, because I can easily devote what little free time I have to other pursuits other then writing this, but I don't. Why you ask? Because there are a lot of people on the internet that read this thing, and that flock to it the day of and several after I post a new chapter to read for 30 minutes and actually bless me with their feedback and words of encouragement. I write this for them, not because I want to steal something from someone else that I will go on record and say has already crafted a fine story, and it was that story that actually spurred me to write this one. So, in closing to this topic, I say this, if you think I'm stealing this story, you basically have two options, Option A, you can report me to the site and have the story taken down, more then likely pissing off a lot of people in the process, or you can go with Option B, which is you can go away, and continue to wait another month or more for S'TarKan to finish the next chapter of his 'Team 8.' If you don't like those options, I believe the term is you can go blow it out your sphincter. Now, onto a MUCH more pleasant topic to rant about before I turn you over to this latest installment in The Demon in the Hyuga Clan, Resident Evil 5 was released days ago, and I must say it is an awesome video game, and I even worked to have this chap completed the day before it shipped so it wouldn't bog me down any further. If any of you wishes to play the game with me, and live in a time zone somewhat similar to the East Coast of the United States and has a headset, PM me and I'll send you my gamer tag along with a request to add a friend, and we'll get together for a session. Keep in mind I'm not a hardcore gamer and I prefer to not use Infinite Ammo when not playing on higher difficulties...

Look at me, I'm ranting….)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Demon Chapter 26 Omake

My name is Naruto Namikaze, and I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage. Currently, I'm in training, and have been for the last three years since my teammate and good friend Hinata Hyuga left the village with the Sannin and Perverted Hermit Jiraiya to do the same. I've been working under my father during any free time he can spare, which is very rare, but I've done everything I can to make the time count.

I've been learning something that my father invented, a fighting style that he created after I was born, and hoped to pass onto me when I came of age. He was never able to go beyond the principles and movements of the style, so it will be my fighting style, and mine alone.

"Dad, Dad!" I breathlessly call out to my father as I run toward the living room.

It's not that late, the sun having just set with the air beginning to cool. I wear a sleeveless t shirt and loose pants, my training weights now rest in the courtyard of the manor, lying in a pile.

I round a corner, my bare feet slapping against the smooth hardwood floor. I skid to a stop at the closed door to the living room, and the door reveals my father sitting in the living room. My mother stands in the kitchen, putting away dinner dishes into their proper cabinets.

I breathe heavily, my chakra level low, but not extremely low. My father sits on the sofa, his head cocked toward me with a questioning look on his face.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" He asks in concern, and my mother pokes her head out of the kitchen, a look of concern mirrored on her face as well.

The look I wear however is one of almost pure elation.

"Dad, I mastered it!" I hurriedly declare, afraid that I might forget to tell him in my excitement.

Both my father and mother exchange a glance, and then both of them look back toward me.

"Mastered what Naruto?" My father asks with his voice laced with curiosity.

"The Isshunken!" I remind him, feeling like I could nearly jump out of my skin.

My father's eyes perk up, and mom looks toward my father in surprise.

"You taught him that hair brained fighting style you thought up?" Kushina asks sarcastically, and my dad nods.

"Yep." My father says, flashing one of our family's signature grins.

Kushina shakes her head in disgust.

"But not even you use it, what makes you think that Naru-kun could even begin to apply it to actual combat?"

Minato grins again, looking at her with confidence in his eyes.

"Darling, Naruto inherited your rather large chakra capacity, and part of his training has always been to further increase his chakra capacity and he's reached the point where he's more than capable of using it for a short period of time, and with more training he'll be able to use it for even longer."

"Uh…aren't either of you curious to see whether or not I'm lying?" I gingerly ask, and both of them look back at me with wonder in their eyes.

"Why wouldn't you be able to master it Naru-kun?" Mom asks, and I suppress a blush, looking down and away from my parents.

Dad pushes himself up off the sofa, slipping his hands into the hip pockets on his pants.

"Well, let's go outside and you can show me." Minato says with a smile, and mom emerges from the kitchen a moment later, curiosity on her face.

Both my mother and father follow me as I leave the living room and head back out toward the courtyard. Once the three of us are outside, I can look around and see ANBU standing around, alert and guarding the area. I walk toward the pile of weights in the middle of the courtyard, and both mom and dad stop six or seven feet behind me.

I turn around to see my mother standing with her arm's crossed over her ample chest while my father still stands with his hands in his pockets. Both of them have guarded curiosity in their eyes and on their faces.

"Well, show your mother Naruto." My father jabs at my mother, who shoots him that look of annoyance wives often give their husband.

"Go ahead Naru-kun." My mother encourages me, smiling at me.

I nod to both of them, and I put my hands together in a generic hand sign. I begin to focus my chakra, bringing it out toward my skin. I focus and hold the chakra around my skin, using sheer willpower to form an aura of chakra around my body. My body begins to glow with a golden radiance, and I continue to focus, drawing more chakra into my eyes for a dojutsu that's my father developed for use with the Isshunken.

"Well, well…" Minato says in surprise, and my mother has a look of surprise on her face.

"So, you've mastered 'Flash Mode' huh?" Minato asks.

I stand up straight, a golden glow reflecting in my parent's eyes. The chakra concentrated into the golden luminance that surrounds my body shimmers, the only sign that I haven't totally mastered controlling and manipulating the chakra involved in the chakra veil.

"This is part of that Isshunken you created?" Kushina asks.

My father nods once.

"Unlike my Flying Thunder God fighting style, the Isshunken relies on physical speed rather than teleportation. The main source of that speed is the restraining weights Naruto's been wearing. By increasing the load and learning to move at a normal speed under the steadily increasing weight, his muscles have become stronger, and when he removes the weight he's capable of much greater speed. The dojutsu involved in Flash Mode grants the user greater visual acuity, preventing tunnel vision from developing during the high speed movements. The chakra veil has a dual purpose, the first being it provides some physical protection and also prevents chakra from flowing through it, making it nearly impossible for a genjutsu to take hold on the user. The second purpose of the veil is to protect the skin from the air. Moving at high speed would place extreme stress on the user's skin, enough to actually rip the skin apart."

"So, basically in order to use this miracle taijutsu style of yours, you have to train for years with restraining weights, have an enormous amount of chakra and the chakra control to maintain a veil around your body and use a dojutsu at the same time?" Mom asks, and Minato smiles at her.

"This style isn't meant for the average shinobi." Minato reminds her. "I created it specifically for Naruto anyway after the doctor told me he'd grow to have a large chakra capacity. I designed this style for him, so there was always going to be odd requirements to use it."

Mom shakes her head slowly.

"You always think of the strangest applications for Ninjutsu."

Minato gives her a grin.

"Yeah, and you know you love me for it." He says smugly, putting his hands on his hips.

"Just don't let Naruto get too carried away!" She quickly retorts and turns around, though I can see the beginnings of a blush forming on her face.

My father retains the grin on his face, and he looks to me, slipping his hands into his hip pockets as he does so. The grin fades away, and a serious air forms around him.

"Just because you can do it doesn't mean you're ready to use it in battle Naruto." My father reminds me. "You have to keep up your training, build up your chakra reserves. The Isshunken requires a massive amount of chakra, and if you combine it with the shadow clone jutsu it will take even more from you."

I nod, returning my body to normal and undoing the jutsu that comprises my 'Flash Mode.' Dad smiles at me while I stand up straight, and Mom turns around, her face still showing the remains of a blush. She walks toward me and wraps me in her arms, a sigh of relief coming from her mouth.

"I'm proud of you, Naru-kun." She whispers, and I look to my father to see him give me a thumb up of approval.

_Mom…Dad…_

Chapter 26: Spiders and Snakes

"Haruka-taicho, something is ahead!" I report, and the four of us stop in our tracks.

Haruka, now twenty feet ahead of me on her own branch jumps backward, landing on the branch with cat like agility.

"Details, Hinata." She orders, and I focus ahead, looking through my eyes and out toward the edge of my range.

"It's an underground structure that appears to be several kilometers wide. There are a variety of rooms in the structure, and there are no signs of the bunker on the surface."

"Orders, Haruka-taicho?" Naruto asks, tendrils of excitement leaking into his voice.

Haruka keeps her voice even.

"We have to proceed cautiously, and judging from the description, this isn't the so called 'Sound Village' but an outpost of some kind."

I look back toward the outpost, focusing more on the underground portion of the outpost, but at this range all I can see are the chakra networks of the people inside the bunker, and I can't even see the bottom floor of the bunker at this range.

_That chakra network…_

Inside the bunker I can see an odd looking chakra network. This one appears to have six arms and two legs, and has a strange eerie green glow to it.

_That's the spider ninja that attacked the bandit encampment. I guess this is where he came, which means we were successful in following him._

"We'll skirt the outpost and search beyond it. Our mission is to locate the Village Hidden in the Sound, and not alert everyone in the country to our presence before we do."

Naruto is visibly disappointed, his desire to beat the snot out of someone is obvious, and the fact that Haruka is denying him that opportunity isn't sitting well with him.

"All right." Naruto reluctantly agrees.

Shino just slips his hands into his pockets, and I scan the area before Haruka motions for us to move out. We head toward the outpost, but Haruka leads us around, and when we're halfway past the outpost, I notice something I couldn't see before.

_That's an odd chakra network._

It's so strange, that I actually stop and focus on the sighting. The others all stop when they notice what I'm doing, and I put my hands together, focusing to clear the image of the odd chakra network several levels underground. The chakra network pulses with a deep purple light, and it's got enough chakra in it that the person has to have at least Jounin if not Kage levels of chakra reserves. Once I move away from the chakra network, I examine the body its inside, and the body is about the farthest thing from normal a person's body can be.

On the man's right arm, a summoning contract is tattooed in black ink. The bones of his neck appear to be loose or disjoint-able, and the skin on his neck is tight, but has signs of extension. His tongue is rolled up inside his mouth, appearing as though it can extend out of his mouth to extreme distances. He has long dark hair, and yellow slit eyes, with purple paint under his eyes, and a pointy nose. He has a smirk on his face, and his face reminds of me of a face that I haven't seen for years, since the Chunin exams.

_No, that isn't possible! Minato-dono killed him years ago! There's no way Minato-dono would lie about something like that, so how can he be alive?_

The face is that of the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, and with my Byakugan I can tell that it isn't a transformation or some sort of trick, it really is the legendary shinobi himself.

"Hinata, do you see something?" Haruka asks.

I nod grimly.

"There's a man inside, he has yellow snake like eyes and black hair."

Recognition passes behind the eyes of my teammates and my leader.

"You mean to say you see Orochimaru?" Haruka asks, and I nod again.

"It could be his twin." I offer in explanation.

Haruka shakes her head no.

"Orochimaru didn't have any siblings or children and he was orphaned in a war." Haruka explains.

"In spite of that, someone who looks exactly like him and has enough chakra to be a Jounin or Kage level ninja is in that bunker, and the spider ninja that attacked those bandits is there as well." I report to Haruka.

Naruto shakes his head in denial.

"Dad killed Orochimaru years ago, and the village burned his body, I watched it happen."

"Even so, he's standing in that bunker, though I can't get a clear read on what he's doing, and I only found him because he has such an odd chakra network."

"We'll move in and investigate." Haruka says. "Hinata, how much closer do we have to be in order for you to get a clear read on him?"

"He's several levels down, which means it'll be harder for me to focus and bear down on him since he has so many other people around him."

There's a shifting movement around us. Shino leaps up into the air, flinging his arms up at an angle, a black buzzing mass of kikai leave his sleeves. The streams of kikai seem to extend longer and longer from his sleeves. The bugs buzz and descend in a ring twenty feet in diameter. They then swarm onto four sound ninja that have surrounded us. The kikai feast on the sound shinobi's chakra, and I curse myself for my lapse in attention. Because I was so heavily focused on the bunker, I didn't notice the four sound shinobi sneaking up on us until just before Shino did, and he was the first to act.

The sound shinobi attempt to struggle against the kikai that feast on their chakra, but the sheer number of bugs and the amount of chakra they consume per insect makes their struggles futile and short lived. In seconds the kikai have the four shinobi unconscious and out of chakra before they can even cry out in surprise.

Haruka watches the four shinobi silently as the kikai crawl off of the now drained shinobi and crawl back to their master. Shino slips his hands into his pockets as the kikai crawl up his feet and inside his pants. I shiver at the thought of the bugs crawling on my skin, and then Haruka speaks up.

"It's time we left, our position is compromised, and if what Hinata says is true, then we have information that will be vital to Konoha's survival."

A snake flies toward us from the direction of the bunker, and I grab three kunai, hurling the knives toward the snake and sticking it to an overhead branch. The snake writhes in pain, and then disappears in a puff of smoke. Three shinobi ride a snake from the bunker, and land near us, and I recognize Orochimaru and the spider ninja, along with a silver haired shinobi wearing purple pants and a purple vest with a white shirt underneath.

_I recognize him from the Chunin exams, that's Kabuto Yakushi, is he working for the Sound Village now?_

"Ah, the fool's favorite pet." 'Orochimaru' says; his voice nearly identical to my memories.

The snake man's eyes bore into me, and I can feel the bloodlust coming off of him. In spite of the nearly overwhelming desire to kill, I stand firm; Naruto, Shino and Haruka all standing firm as well.

"Orochimaru-sama let me kill these fools." The six armed ninja begs from the Snake Sannin.

"Kidomaru, don't underestimate them." Kabuto speaks up.

"Quiet traitor!" Haruka barks at him.

Through the Byakugan, I can see that Kabuto's obvious betrayal isn't sitting well with Naruto, though it's much less obvious with Haruka, other than her bark of anger, the woman isn't showing an ounce of emotion.

"Go ahead Kidomaru." Orochimaru bids his lackey. "Rip them all to shreds."

Naruto's weights slip off of his limbs, kikai fly out from Shino's sleeves. Haruka's eyes flare and her Sharingan appears in her eyes, her right hand going to her weapon pouch and fishing a kunai from it. While this happens, Kidomaru opens his arms and points them in multiple different directions. The green seal crawls its way across his skin, and a euphoric expression settles onto his features. Webs spout from his hands, and the four of us move up to the branches avoid the spreading spider web. Orochimaru and Kabuto both avoid the spider web in a similar fashion. However, both Orochimaru and Kabuto head back toward the outpost.

_They're leaving? Not a chance._

I spring forward, looking to chase the snake and his right hand, when a web shoots up in front of me. The web is impossibly adhesive, sticking to my skin and holding me.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, no chasing after Orochimaru-sama…" Kidomaru scolds me.

Below me, Naruto's fist impacts Kidomaru's face, enough force behind it to cause his body to reel backward, his feet chakra adhered to the branch below. Haruka appears behind me and uses a kunai to slice at the webbing, but the blade doesn't cut the chakra enhanced fluid.

_He's using chakra to reinforce the substance, meaning if you disrupt that flow, you can cut it._

"Haruka-taicho, focus on him, I can cut it."

With a curt nod, Haruka drops toward Kidomaru. Looking down, I notice a gold metal covering Kidomaru's face with Naruto's fist resting against it. Kidomaru lashes out with his arms, gold kunai sticking out from them. Naruto deftly ducks, avoiding the golden kunai. Naruto's leg shoots out, impacting against Kidomaru's chest with enough force to actually undo the chakra adhesive and send the spider shinobi flying. Webbing springs from one of his hands, and he uses it like a swing to right himself in the air and swing toward an unoccupied branch. He lands there with only a slight thud of his feet impacting the branch.

"Ha, one of you is already stuck in my web." He taunts Naruto, Shino and Haruka.

I close my eyes, focusing my chakra into my body and using it in a Gentle Fist technique to release a burst of chakra from my body. I use the chakra to cut the chakra filaments inside the spider web. The webbing cuts into little pieces, falling away from my body. Without the spider web holding me up, I plummet through the air. I curse myself for not having a kunai attached to a line ready for just such an occasion when a yellow and green blur crosses the air below me and intersects me at just the right moment. The blur, actually Naruto, holds me in his arms and carries me to a nearby tree branch. He sets me down and quickly turns his head back toward Kidomaru. His face is set in an expression of absolute seriousness.

"You all right, Hinata?" He asks, his voice concerned, but focused.

"I'm fine."

"Good, how'd you break that web anyway?" He asks, still focused on Kidomaru.

Both Haruka and Shino attack the spider-like shinobi. Haruka hurls kunai at him, while Shino attacks the man with both flying and crawling kikai. The gold armor now covers the majority of his body, deflecting Haruka's kunai and putting a stop to Shino's kikai.

"His webs use chakra to hold them together, unless you cut the flow of chakra through the webbing, it'll be extremely difficult to cut."

"Right, I guess the Gentle Fist can do that, right?"

I nod.

"Yes, it's very easy for me to cut the webbing, though I'd imagine that it'd be really hard for you or Haruka or Shino to cut it."

"Right, so we have to keep you out of that crap, what's the gold stuff surrounding his body?"

I use my Byakugan, looking through it to try and figure the golden metal out. The substance is unlike anything I've ever seen before, and looks nothing like an ordinary metal. Within the metal I can see chakra, presumably Kidomaru's chakra.

His golden armored hands clasp together, and chakra builds around his body.

_What?_

There's a bright flash of light, followed by a cloud of smoke, and I'm forced to close my eyes to prevent the light from permanently damaging them. I open my eyes a few moments later and the smoke has begun to dissipate, and Kidomaru is nowhere to be seen in the immediate area.

"Where did he go?" Naruto asks, glancing around left and right.

I look through the Byakugan, locating the strange man in a few seconds, his chakra network like a glowing beacon in the forest.

"He's 235 meters southwest of our position." I inform Naruto.

Kidomaru hangs by two spider webs, the webs sticking out from opposite arms on his body. Two of his other arms form a generic hand sign, while the other two hold a golden bow, apparently made of the same gold material as the armor that still covers his body. Beneath the golden armor, his skin has turned a sickly neon green color, and a third eye has opened on his forehead. His chakra network is now beaming with chakra, similar to how Sasuke's reacted when he spread the mark on his body.

_The seal must extract chakra from the body forcefully, I can't think about that now, he's preparing a long range attack and he's going to try and assassinate us from a distance._

As if to confirm my thoughts, a golden arrow head seeps from his mouth, the shaft following it. He slots the arrow on the bow, and one of his free hands that once formed a hand sign now attaches a spider web to the back of the arrow. He draws the bow, preparing to release an arrow and kill me or someone I care about.

"He's 235 meters to the southwest! He's preparing a long distance attack!" I yell out, pointing toward him.

The problem with pointing him out is that none of us carry a weapon capable of attacking from that distance.

_The fact that he can pull off a shot like that is incredible in and of itself, none of us are prepared to fight against something like that._

He shifts his aim, and his eyes focus on me, targeting me because I'm the only one who can spot him once he's left normal visual range.

_Naruto's next to me, I can't let this bastard take me out, if he kills me he'll be able to pick all of us off without a care in the world, as long as he moves after each shot._

Kidomaru releases his arrow, and I go into a spin, using a large rotation, forming a sphere of protective blue red chakra around both Naruto and I. The arrow flies, impacting the dome and bouncing off it with a ping. The arrow flies and impacts a tree, sticking there and vibrating for a moment before becoming still.

Haruka and Shino both go into motion, moving toward the source of the arrow. Naruto stands next to me inside the protective dome for a moment, until I stop spinning, and the chakra sphere disappears.

"You all right Naruto?" I ask half a question and half a statement.

"Yeah, I'm fine Hinata, thanks to you."

_Unlike me, Naruto doesn't know who Kidomaru was aiming at, so for all he knows Kidomaru was aiming for him._

Haruka and Shino both move toward Kidomaru's shot position as though their lives depend on it, and Shino manages to keep pace with the ANBU Uchiha. Kidomaru drops from where he was hanging, somehow seeing both Shino and Haruka approaching him. He quickly goes on the move, taking off and jumping into the trees, running as though his master's whip was at his back.

"Hinata, what's going on?" Naruto asks.

"Kidomaru is running from Haruka and Shino." I inform him. "He's trying to keep his position a secret so he can line up another shot, and try to assassinate one of us when we can't see it coming."

Naruto's hands ball into fists, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

"I'm not going to let that happen. Do you think you can get me within sight of him?"

"I could, but I don't think he'll let us get close to him."

Naruto nods and something happens to him. Chakra surrounds his body almost in a mist, and then a gold brilliance surrounds his body from head to toe. Naruto's blue eyes shine to a brilliant gold, and his entire body seems to be alive with energy.

"Naruto?" I ask, and he looks toward me, his glowing gaze piercing.

"I don't really have time to explain Hinata, but I promise I will." He tells me.

His weights slip off his arms and legs, clattering to the ground from beneath his sleeves and pants. Through the Byakugan, I see that both Shino and Haruka have found Kidomaru's trail, and a swarm of kikai and balls of flame chase the spider-like shinobi through the forest. Naruto moves toward me, and without a word he scoops me up in his arms bridal style, and I can feel something between me and Naruto.

_It must be the chakra that's giving him that golden glow. But what he's going to do holding me like this?_

"Get me ahead of him Hinata, try and predict where he'll be and give me thirty seconds to prepare."

I nod my understanding.

"Head that way, 400 meters." I tell him, pointing in the direction ahead of Kidomaru.

Naruto coils his legs, and then there's a rushing of air and a blur of green and brown that seems to fly by. Two seconds later, Naruto stops on a branch, and I look around to see we're roughly 400 meters from where we once stood.

"Is this right?" He asks, still holding me. "I was moving at about half speed so we might not be exactly where we're supposed to be."

I shake my head.

"We're close enough, and Kidomaru's coming."

He nods in understanding and puts me down next to him on the branch. He makes the sign of the ram, and chakra shimmers around him.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yells out.

Two shadow clones of him pop into existence, the clones both possess the same golden radiance that the real Naruto has. Naruto thrusts his right hand into the air, holding his palm up and his fingers slightly curled, as though he is holding a ball. He balls his left hand into a fist, and the two clones flex their fingers, and they hold their hands up toward the real Naruto's hand. The clones move their hands away and toward Naruto's right hand while Naruto's face contorts in concentration. Chakra begins to swirl around in his hand, and I can feel the air around me begin to pull against my clothes, a vortex of sorts forming around Naruto. I raise my right arm to shield my eyes from the whipping wind, and take an involuntary step back as the wind picks up. A Rasengan forms in Naruto's hand, and a few seconds later a spinning three pronged shuriken like formation of chakra surrounds the Rasengan.

_What in Konoha is that?_

"Wind Release: Rasen-Shuriken." Naruto says aloud.

Through the Byakugan I find Kidomaru being chased by Haruka and Shino.

"Naruto, he's coming from that way." I point toward Kidomaru.

Haruka and Shino have the spider shinobi on the run; Haruka flinging fire at him and Shino's kikai hovering over him, the small insects making feint attacks against Kidomaru.

_Shino's afraid to get them on him in case Haruka hits him with one of her fireballs and sets him on fire. If that happened I doubt he'd die, but Naruto seems pretty confident that jutsu of his will do him in._

Kidomaru lands on a branch, pausing only long enough to coil his knees and leap again when he spots Naruto and on the branch in front of him, the two shadow clones still standing next to Naruto. The sight gives him pause, and that pause is all Haruka required.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Her word's echo through the forest.

Flame impacts Kidomaru's back. The light from the fire frames his body, and the sound of the flames searing at his flesh sends a chill down my spine. He falls from the branch, and Naruto pulls his arm back, ready to throw.

"RASEN-SHURIKEN!" Naruto yells, flinging the chakra shuriken toward Kidomaru.

Kidomaru has time to look, to see the incoming sphere of wind chakra just before it impacts his body. Upon impact, he releases a scream of agony from the depths of his lungs, and I can see all too clearly how Naruto's jutsu attacks his body. I watch in horror and amazement as the wind chakra contained in Naruto's jutsu forms microscopic blades that rip into Kidomaru's body. Not only do the blades sever his body, but even the cells that comprise his form. Watching the savage and obviously painful death happen before my eyes, part of me can only wonder how Naruto prevented any errant wind chakra from hitting him.

Then, Kidomaru lands on the forest floor with a slicking splat, his body splitting into multiple pieces that seems to degenerate into a crimson and black slop upon impact. From the point of impact to the ground was scarcely a few moments, but watching it and seeing it all so clearly, it was though time had slowed for me, every breath taking minutes instead of seconds, the beating of my heart slowing to a dull thump, repeating much too slowly.

"Ha…ha…ha…" Naruto breathes in exhaustion, the sound bringing me back into focus.

Looking over at him, he's very low on chakra, and he's no longer in his golden glowing form.

"Naruto!" I move deftly as he loses his balance.

He falls forward, and I put myself beneath him. Putting my right arm across his chest, I use my left arm to drape his right arm over my shoulders, and then brace him and pull him up.

"Hinata…?" He groggily asks. "Did it work, did I get him?"

Holding him there, it dawns on me that Naruto didn't really know if his attack would've worked, in spite of the outer confidence he demonstrated.

_He mustn't know what it does to a human body, better not to tell him right now, it is a rather disgusting sight._

"You got him Naruto." I affirm for him.

"Good…" He breathlessly manages, and then his eyes close, and he slips into an exhausted unconsciousness.

"Is he all right?" Haruka's concerned voice pulls my attention from him, and I turn to look to see her and Shino appear on the branch near us.

Shino has his hands out of his pockets, concern filling his otherwise stoic body language. With Haruka, her concern is painted on her face like a billboard.

Then, an explosion rips through the forest in the direction of the bunker with an overpressure wave striking the four of us like a giant omnipresent club across our bodies. We all recoil from the wave of force, both Haruka and Shino kneeling and touching the branch with chakra at their hands and feet holding them to the tree. The tree itself shifts, recoiling away from the explosion, and I feel myself slip from the branch, Naruto's dead weight helping to pull me from relative safety.

_NO!_

Both Haruka and Shino move, dropping to the branch and extending their arms, reaching out and trying to grab me before I fall out of reach, but it's too little too late, and both Naruto and slip out of reach.

"Hinata!" Haruka's panicked voice screams in my ears.

Then, kikai flood from within Shino's body, the overpressure wave having passed and no longer posing a threat to them. The bugs fly down, plummeting through the air like kites without a wisp of wind to hold them aloft. Watching it all through the Byakugan, the kikai form a wall of buzzing black that forms beneath Naruto and I. Seemingly as a single entity, the multi-layered mattress like mass of Kikai acts not as a barrier but as a buffer, moving with us and slowing our descent, Shino's chakra shimmering across the kikai bodies, strengthening them against the combined weight of Naruto and I.

The descent stops ten feet above the ground, and I look around with my normal vision to find my lover and I lying on a 'bed' of crawling and buzzing kikai. I restrain my initial urge to scream in terror at the thought of a hundred bugs creeping up my legs and all over my body, knowing that Shino would take it as an insult to his ability to control the creatures. With only a slight change in the pitch of their buzzing, the kikai lower Naruto and me to the ground and slip out from beneath us layer by layer, until finally the last layer moves as one, and Naruto and I gently plop two inches to the floor of the forest. Still holding him close, I look the both of us over carefully, the kikai very hard to spot even with my Byakugan. Still, I don't find a single kikai on either of us, and I look up to see the fearful expression on Haruka's face gone, replaced by an expression of approval while Shino's kikai return to their master. Once the last of the kikai return inside his jacket, Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose with his right hand, slipping his left into his pocket.

"Good thinking Shino." Haruka commends him, and Shino merely nods before slipping his right hand into his pocket as well. Though due to the ringing in my ears, I simply read their lips.

"I could not stand idly by and do nothing." Shino retorts in what I can only imagine as his normal flat tone.

She nods solemnly, turning toward the source of the explosion. I look as well to find a giant crater four kilometers across, having gouged into the forest with only thirty to forty meters of trees separating us from the crater. Looking at it all with my Byakugan, I can't find a trace of the underground bunker that once resided where the crater now gaps into the planet.

Both Haruka and Shino hop from the now erect tree and land on the ground near us, and I release Naruto from my grip, letting his body rest against the ground while I stand up as well. Haruka continues to look toward the crater left by the explosion, and it takes several minutes for the ringing my ears to subside before I open my mouth to speak.

"There's nothing left, Haruka-taicho." I finally report.

She closes her eyes, nodding grimly.

"I would expect as much." She says tiredly, releasing a breath.

_So, Orochimaru sacrificed one of his subordinates to give him time to escape, and he even bothered to destroy what had to be a valuable facility just to cover his trail and distract us a scant few more moments. I don't doubt that he knows that we managed to kill his Kidomaru, and that's why he chose to detonate the facility when he did, otherwise it's too much of a coincidence. _

Haruka walks toward the now pile of mush that was once the sound ninja Kidomaru. With her Sharingan in her eyes, she kneels down over the pile of mush and scans it up and down. She withdraws a kunai from her pouch and pokes at the mush, looking for something but doesn't find anything. She stands up, and Haruka turns back to me then looks down toward Naruto.

"How is he?" She asks, and I glance down toward the still sleeping Naruto.

"He's fine, just exhausted. That last attack really took it out of him."

"I can imagine." Haruka agrees, glancing down at him before looking at the two of us.

"We're heading out; we can't remain here any longer."

"Yes ma'am!" Both Shino and I agree.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Three days later, Naruto, Shino, Haruka and I all stand before Minato in the Hokage's office. The trip back was eventless, and once the four of us got back into the land of fire we nearly flew back to the village. In fact, Haruka has just finished giving her report to Minato, explaining everything that happened during our mission.

Minato sits with his hands steepled on his desk, his arms cocked at his elbows. He wears a grim expression on his face, an obvious representation of his mood.

"Are you absolutely sure you saw Orochimaru, Hinata?" Minato asks.

I nod solemnly.

"I am." I assure him. "The chakra network I saw was nearly identical to the one I saw in the shinobi called Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams."

"How could Orochimaru have survived all this time?" Minato thinks aloud. "I killed him myself." He continues. "And why wait this long to make his move, why not strike when Konoha was weak and rebuilding in the aftermath of his attack?"

He gains an almost empty gaze, as though he was lost in his own thoughts.

"Hokage-dono, we've finished our report." Haruka says, and Minato blinks, consciousness coming back to his gaze.

"You all are dismissed for today, Haruka I'd like you to stay." Minato dismisses us.

Naruto, Shino and I nod our assent before we walk out of his office. Haruka remains behind as requested. The three of us walk through the tower and when we hit the bottom floor I stop for a moment. Both Naruto and Shino stop after taking two steps, and both of them half turn and look toward me as I reach into my bag and withdraw the purple hooded cloak given to me by Jiraiya during my time away from the village.

Shino's eyebrows narrow and Naruto rolls his eyes.

"Do you really have to wear that Hinata?" Naruto asks.

"I want to keep my return to the village quiet." I say, pulling the hood up to my head.

"Being around the two of us is a rather overt sign of who you are." Shino explains to me. "Your wearing a hood doesn't conceal much of your appearance, and it has been multiple days since your presence was made known to those border guards. If your presence was that important to them, they would've sent a message."

"The longer I keep my identity hidden, the better." I respond, and Naruto shakes his head in disgust.

"You two wanna go grab a bite to eat?" Naruto asks.

"Proper nourishment would be appropriate." Shino comments.

"I could stand eating something." I offer.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Five minutes later the three of us are approaching the Ichiraku Ramen Stand.

_Some things never change, no matter how much time passes; I can take some comfort in that._

Teuchi still stands behind the counter, and he immediately recognizes Naruto and Shino, having probably seen the two of the somewhat regularly since I left the village. He looks at both Naruto and Shino, and then looks at me, questioning passing behind his eyes.

"Naruto, Shino, it's good to see you." He greets both of my teammates. "Who's your friend?" He asks.

Naruto grins, reaching up and grabbing the back of my hood.

"This is a friend from the past, Teuchi-san." Naruto says, pulling the hood down and revealing my face to the man behind the counter.

Recognition flashes in Teuchi's eyes, in spite of the time I've been away from the village and how much training I've undergone.

_Well, I am the only Hyuga in the world with a crimson tint to my eyes._

"Oh, good afternoon Hinata-chan." Teuchi greets me. "It's been a long time since I last saw you."

I nod in acceptance.

"Well, I did have to go training for a while, but I'm back now."

Then Ayame emerges from the back of the stand.

"Did Naruto-san come back with Hina-chan?" Ayame playfully asks.

Ayame glances to me, and surprise enters into her gaze.

"Oh, hello Hina-chan." She greets me. "How've you been these last few years?"

In spite of my being gone the last four years, Ayame seems genuinely curious about me and where I've been.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The three of us manage to get our orders in, in spite of Ayame's attempt to extract as much information about where I've been and what I've been doing since I left the village. After Ayame disappears into the back of the stand to prepare our drinks. Naruto, Shino and I now sit at stools at the stand, the white drapes hanging behind us. Naruto sits next to me on my left while Shino sits on my right.

"See?" Naruto nudges me in my left side with his elbow. "Not everyone in the village hates you, in spite of what you think both Ayame-san and Teuchi-san were worried about you when you left."

Teuchi, who until this point has been diligently working on preparing our ramen orders, looks up from cutting the noodles.

"Why do you think everyone in the village hates you?" Teuchi inquires.

_Doesn't he know what I am, what I've got imprisoned inside me?_

"Sixteen years ago, when the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked our village, my father used one of Hokage-sama's ninjutsu to seal the unstoppable demon inside my newborn body." I explain to him. "Everyone in the village seems to hold me accountable for what the Kyuubi did, and treat me like I'm a monster."

"I never once thought of you as a demon or a demon child, did I ever do anything to you to make you think I thought that way?"

I shake my head no.

"Nearly everyone I ever met seemed to think that way, or at least avoided me and made an effort to make me feel like I'm absolutely worthless because of it."

"I never cared about the demon, just that you're a good person and that's all that matters." He explains.

I remember a vivid memory of lying in the middle of a circle of destruction, the forest and ground around me razed clean. I look up at the sky and wonder just what happened. Then I blink and I'm back at Ichiraku, a single thought coming to mind.

_Would he still think I'm a good person if he found out I was capable of doing something like that?_

"See, not everyone thinks you are a demon Hina-chan." Naruto says.

I smile, assenting to his statement.

"I'm glad that there are a few people who don't think of me like that, though it seems the rest of the village does."

Ayame chooses then to emerge holding a tray with three ceramic cups on it with the Ichiraku logo printed in red on the side of the cups. She sets the tray down between the three of us and distributes the cups. As she sets my cup in front of me, she looks up at me and smiles happily.

"You look good Hinata-chan." Ayame compliments me.

I feel myself blush, my cheeks flushing and I quickly look away to avoid Ayame's gaze and not show her my obvious embarrassment.

"We all just got back from an important successful mission." Naruto quickly speaks up.

"It's good that you all are working hard to protect and serve the village." Ayame compliments.

"Ayame-chan." Teuchi begins. "You have some paperwork to do in the back, so don't bother the customers." He sarcastically scolds her.

Ayame sighs, obviously not taking Teuchi's reprimand too seriously.

"He is right though, I do have some work to do, so don't work too hard, okay?" She says to the three of us.

With that Ayame leaves the three of us and disappears into the back of the stand. Teuchi continues to make our orders, and Naruto takes a sip of his tea, looking past me toward Shino as he sets his tea down.

"Something wrong Shino?" Naruto politely asks.

Shino takes a sip of his drink, setting the cup down gingerly on the counter.

"I merely had nothing to add to the conversation my teammate." Shino says.

Naruto eyes him for a long moment, and I can tell that Naruto is trying to get a read on Shino.

"Something is bothering you Shino, and you're trying to hide it."

The Aburame actually closes his eyes behind his dark sunglasses, pushing the dark shades up toward the bridge of his nose after he opens his eyes.

"I had hoped to have more time to deliberate on this matter before I brought it up amongst us." He says.

His tone sends a chill down my spine, telling me quite clearly that whatever Shino wants to discuss is important.

"When I returned to the village from our mission I received a messenger kikai from my father." Shino explains. "My father holds a position on the village council, and the kikai explained that Hizashi has already brought up Hinata at the last village council meeting. He was adamant about a decision being brought down and a punishment being meted out to Hinata for a supposed assault on his person." Shino explains.

_What kind of crap is that?_

"I was provoked! Hizashi destroyed the only record of my maternal history!" I explain, and Naruto nods.

"I saw him do it, and I listened to the whole conversation. Hinata didn't actually hit him I'm the one who actually hit Hizashi. Hinata didn't really do anything to him."

Shino nods solemnly.

"Though Hizashi's claim has caused some friction amongst the village council, and right now they're in a 'cooling off' recess to allow the emotions of the involved parties to settle before further discussion." Shino explains. "However, my father is one of the few members of the council that aren't furious that you've returned to the village, Hinata." He continues. "Those that are angry are ready to have you executed or locked in prison for this supposed attack against the leader of the Hyuga clan." He finishes.

"That's bull! Hina-hime didn't even do anything to him other than push him!" Naruto protests. "I was the one who hit Hizashi."

"I am well aware of the facts of the situation Naruto." Shino informs him. "However, I doubt that those on the council will have an open mind to garner the same enlightenment."

Naruto shakes his head in denial.

"Dad wouldn't let that happen." Naruto explains.

Shino nods in understanding.

"Your father is probably the one thing keeping Hinata out of a prison cell." Shino informs him. "While the council can override the Hokage's law, it will require a 2/3 vote to do so, and Hizashi doesn't quite have enough supporters to do that, yet." Shino finishes.

"I'll take the blame, I'll go before the council and admit that I was the one who struck Hizashi that the only thing Hina-hime did was push him into a tree and chose not to do anything to him."

"My father can arrange for you to have an appearance, but I can't say what impact your words will have on the village council."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Two hours later I stand next to Naruto in a dark circular room. The light is low, and even though the room is dark I can see the faces of many of the prominent faces within Konoha in the chamber. Shino's father is one of those faces, one of the only kind faces among the many elder people inside the room. Naruto stands next to me on my left, a grim expression on his face.

"…Testimony from these witnesses will shed light onto the subject before us." Shibi finishes explaining.

One of the older members of the council glares daggers toward the Aburame elder.

"How could you bring the demon into our chamber Elder Aburame?" The bald man demands, his anger apparent in his voice.

_That man must be one of Hizashi's many supporters here._

After the obvious emotional outburst, the council members go silent, with only a small few of them gaining looks of distaste at the remark. Looking over the council members before me, I scan the group of people, and I can easily pick out Hizashi's supporters, and those that oppose him. As it turns out, Shino's statement of Hizashi having not quite 2/3 of the council behind him is quite true, as ten of the eighteen members of the council show approving expressions, including Hizashi himself.

_Looks like Shibi Aburame is the leader of those that oppose Hizashi, it's to be figured though. If I wasn't here, Hizashi controls the entire Hyuga clan and all of its power and influence along with all of its fortunes._

Naruto takes a step forward, taking a deep breath and sticking his chest out in defiance.

"I am the man responsible for physically assaulting Hizashi Hyuga. He attempted to provoke Hinata Hyuga by offering her a bargain which would remove her claim to the Hyuga Main House and in return he would allow her to view her maternity records which would reveal to her who her biological mother is. However, Hinata declined the offer and Hizashi burned the records on a whim, records he had no right to destroy as a mere proxy clan leader."

Hizashi's eyes flash with anger, and he stands up from his seat, slamming his fists onto the wooden table in front of him.

"Be quiet you insolent child! You have no idea what you're talking about!" Hizashi growls at Naruto.

Shibi Aburame turns his head toward Hizashi, somehow managing to glare daggers from behind his sunglasses and maintain his Aburame calmness.

"Elder Hyuga, you realize that this young man is Naruto Namikaze, the son of our Hokage, you _will_ show him proper respect, and any emotional outbursts on your part will serve you no good here."

Hizashi glances toward Shibi, and then nods, sitting down again and smoothing his robes.

An older man with gray hair nods approvingly toward Shibi. He has an air of relative calm, and judging from his expression I can see that he isn't one of Hizashi's supporters.

"Namikaze-san, do you have any other witnesses other than accused to confirm your story that would have no reason to lie about the matter?"

Naruto opens his mouth as if to say something, and then closes it again, thinking better of it. Then the doors to the dark chamber swing open and everyone in the room including me turn and look to see a young Hyuga male walk into the chamber. Once he's through the door, the door swings closed with a light bang.

The man is in his early twenties with long dark hair and wears the white robes of the Hyuga servant families. It takes me a moment to recognize him, but I do recognize the man from my past, someone I haven't seen for quite a while.

_Hiraiga Hyuga, one of the only members of the branch houses that is loyal to me, or rather to my grandmother because of the support the clan gave to his mother during her last years._

The old man with gray hair looks at the young Hyuga.

"Who dares to interrupt a meeting of the village council?" He demands from Hiraiga.

"Hiraiga." Hizashi's voice mutters in recognition.

"I am Hiraiga Hyuga, a member of the Hyuga Branch houses." Hiraiga announces himself. "I was assigned to guard Hizashi-sama the day in question, and I witnessed everything. I can confirm Namikaze-sama's story-"

It's then that Hizashi makes a hand sign, a hand sign that I recognize from my younger years. A half second later Hiraiga grasps his forehead, screaming in pain as the curse mark beneath his headband glows active. Hizashi holds the hand sign, and I can tell that he means to kill Hiraiga before he can say anything more. My hands quickly come together, forming a hand sign identical to the one Hizashi is making and directing to Hiraiga. I activate the seal on Hizashi's forehead, and the man breaks his hand sign, releasing Hiraiga from his grip as Hizashi himself falls to the floor, gripping painfully at his skull. I don't mean to kill him, and before the seal completely liquefies his brain I release the seal's hold on him. Both of them groan in pain, and it's nearly two full minutes of tense silence before Hiraiga manages to get to his feet, still obviously in pain. Hizashi also manages to get to his feet, struggling to get into his seat, appearing as though it takes him great effort to struggle through the pain and return to the seat.

The old man watches Hizashi and the entire council seem to take the silent time to process the events, and decide on how to go on. Finally the older gentleman speaks, breaking the ominous silence in the room.

"Elder Hyuga." The old man begins. "Tell me, why would you willingly attack your own subordinate?" He asks, his tone explaining that he already knows the answer.

"That man is betraying our clan." Hizashi tries to explain.

"I believe you are mistaken, Elder Hyuga. That man was about to betray _you_, not your clan." The older man corrects him. "And it would appear you just tried to silence him for it. With what I've just seen, I no longer harbor any doubt that Hinata Hyuga did nothing to you, and you were only trying to remove a hindrance to your personal gain."

At this, several members of the council nod, more heads than those that originally aligned with Shibi when I entered the chamber.

_Apparently they realize that Hizashi has been caught in his pathetic attempt to hold on to his precious rank. They probably think it's best to cut their ties with him before their own personal position of power is brought into question._

At seeing this, I can't help but feel an almost vicious smile of victory creep onto my lips. The old man looks toward Naruto and I, his face staying completely neutral.

"You two are dismissed; we'll deal with this on our own."

_I don't know or really care what they'll do to Hizashi, but at least Naruto and I are off the hook for this crap._

Naruto, Hiraiga and I all leave the council chamber without a word of argument. Outside of the council chamber Shino waits and upon seeing the three of us he immediately joins us.

"You were successful?" Shino asks.

Naruto nods, grinning toward our teammate.

"Yep, Hiraiga here came in and explained everything. Hizashi tried to kill him and Hinata dropped him using the same thing Hizashi used on him. Once that happened the majority of the council saw things our way and how Hizashi acted for his own benefit, so they let us go." Naruto explains.

The four of us leave the council chamber and the tower itself. We go into the streets, and the entire time Hiraiga remains quiet the entire time, and I can tell that something is bothering Hiraiga.

"Um, if Hizashi is the Hyuga clan leader, won't he punish you Hiraiga for speaking out against him?" Naruto asks quizzically.

"It was a risk I was prepared to take." Hiraiga confidently declares. "I could not stand idly by and watch while the rightful heir to the clan that helped my mother until her last days is locked in a prison cell for the rest of her life." He explains. "I will never forget Hinata-sama or Hibana-dono, and even if I'm put to death I will die with a smile on my face knowing that I've given my life to protect Hinata-sama and the future of my clan."

I look down, showing my obvious disdain for Hiraiga dying for me.

"I don't want that to happen." I declare, and Shino nods.

"If Hiraiga-san were to suddenly die after what just happened it would appear as though Hizashi did it as an act of revenge. He'd quickly be removed from the council for such an obvious act of premeditated murder." Shino declares.

The four of us reach an intersection, and Hiraiga stops. Naruto Shino and I all stop as well and Hiraiga moves to the west, an opposite direction as the three of us.

"I apologize, but I must go." Hiraiga says, bowing to us.

I nod my understanding.

"I know Hiraiga-san, I'll see you later." I bid my farewell to him.

"See you Hiraiga-san." Naruto says, giving him wave.

Shino gives Hiraiga a curt nod.

"I thank you for your actions with the village council." Shino gives him a farewell.

With that, Hiraiga turns and walks away from us, and the three of us watch him walk away. After a minute Naruto puts his hands behind his head, smiling slyly.

"I guess not everyone in the Hyuga clan is against you, eh Hina-hime?"

"Hiraiga was my ally before I left the village. He risks his life every day he remains in the Hyuga manor."

Shino shifts, moving his weight from his left and right feet.

"It would be wise for him to move out of the Hyuga manor." Shino comments.

"It isn't that simple." I explain for him.

Naruto gains a puzzled look.

"Why not, you did it didn't you?" Naruto asks.

"Hiraiga is a member of the Hyuga Branch Houses, and no matter where he goes, the curse mark on his forehead will follow him everywhere he goes."

"Oh." Naruto says in enlightenment.

Shino merely nods in understanding.

The three of us start walking again, and I have no idea what destination either of them has in mind.

"Well, what should we do now?" I ask.

"Perhaps some light workouts would be in order?" Shino suggests, and Naruto grins.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Naruto says with a smile.

I smile along with Naruto.

_Yes, just like old times._


	27. Chapter 27

(Well, this is Chapter 27. My editor had a lot of things to say about this one, some comments that I maybe missed. Therefore, if you see them, ignore them. They'll be in parenthesis and don't look like they belong here. This would've been up much closer to the beginning of April, but my editor had some problems, Taxes and work problems, and every working person has had all those. Anyway, I've got part of the next chapter already written, and I'll say that the next chapter has in it what a lot of you have been waiting to see, though I'll also say that if you're looking for something explicit you're out of luck. This fic will never have anything worse in it then what it does in this chap, and those 'scenes' will be Sean Connery Era James Bond love scenes, AKA, they lie down, and then it cuts away, coming back the next morning. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.)

Chapter 27: Unfortunate News

Naruto, Shino and I have come to an unoccupied training ground. Naruto and Shino stand apart from each other, sparring while I look on.

Both of them are using normal taijutsu, and Naruto is wearing his weights, so he can't utilize the Isshunken. The two of them punch and kick at each other, and while I expect Naruto to have improved his taijutsu over the time I've been gone, Shino has as well.

_His clan seems to be focused on kikai jutsu and manipulation of the bugs and how to employ them in generally devious and covert ways._

The two of them spar back and forth for nearly six minutes before they stop and bow to each other. Both Naruto and Shino look at me and Naruto motions for me to stand where Shino now stands.

"You up for a quick spar, Hinata?" Naruto asks, light perspiration staining his brow.

Shino moves to sit down, and I slowly move to take his place as Naruto's sparring partner. Once I'm standing across from him, Naruto looks me up and down.

"Have you been keeping up with your weight training?" He asks curiously, checking his own restraints.

I shake my head, moving into a Frog style stance, but without the natural chakra or being in Sage mode.

"I haven't worn the restraints for nearly a year now Naruto." I inform him.

"Why'd you stop wearing them, Hinata?" Naruto asks curiously.

"I think I've gotten as fast as I can, and I had to put the chakra into other training methods. I actually couldn't have survived my training with Jiraiya and Tsunade-sensei with the weights slowing me down."

He smiles mischievously.

"I see." He says with that same smile.

With that he moves in, and I use my hand to hand skills to spar against him, since he isn't using his specialty fighting style, I don't use mine either. He swings with a right hook aimed at me head, and I duck down, his fist sailing inches above my head. I kick my right foot out, and he shifts his body, allowing my foot to pass in front of his stomach. He grins and grasps my leg at my shin, he uses a form of judo to throw me over his shoulder, head first toward a tree. I flip in the air and put my feet toward the tree, bending my knees when I impact the trunk of the tree to absorb the force of the impact. I look to see him standing there, and I flip forward off of the tree and come to a stop vertical again, bending my knees on the landing. I stand up straight and assume a Frog stance, but without the natural chakra the stance is nothing more than motions.

He coils his legs, running toward me and he throws a left cross. I step back and put my back to the tree to avoid the blow, and his movement is perceptively faster than it was before.

_Is he reducing the weight in his restraints so he can try and land a blow? Maybe he wants to test just how much stronger I've gotten since I left the village?_

He shoots his right foot out and I sidestep, his foot strikes the tree and cracks the bark. He spins to the right with his foot still out and I flip backward, moving outside of his range. He completes the spin and comes to a stop facing me. He closes the distance between us in two strides, and raises his right fist and swings a backhand blow at my head. I raise my own arms and catch his fist, the slap of the impact resonating between us.

Surprisingly, he has a look of concern on his face as I hold his hand away from my head.

"Is this all you can do?" He asks, concern and perplexity on his face.

I meet his gaze, keeping my face casual.

"I don't want to hurt you, Naru-kun."

He pulls his fist back, and the air of challenge leaves him, and awareness fills his blue orbs.

"Have you learned to use that red veil on command?" He asks with a sad understanding in his voice.

I shake my head no.

"No, I haven't." I tell him.

_I've learned something far more powerful than the ability to become a mindless murder machine and sling chakra like it's going out of style._

He cocks an eyebrow quizzically, and I notice Shino shifting his posture when Naruto asks his next question.

"What did you learn then?" He asks innocently.

I smile at him, feeling a little ashamed of myself for hiding it from either of them.

_I left the village for nearly four years with two of the most powerful shinobi to ever come out of Konoha. It's no wonder that they're both curious as to the results of that long and arduous training._

I open my mouth to answer him when there's movement and a rustle of leaves in the trees nearby. The three of us turn toward the source of the noise and we see a female ANBU in a wolf mask kneeling on a tree branch nearby, her face imperceptible behind the ceramic mask.

_No doubt she made that rustle of leaves to announce her presence to us. I'm sure if she wanted to, she could've sneaked up on us without our collective senses even realizing it._

"Hokage-sama wishes to speak to you three." The female ANBU says in a cold detached voice.

I glance to Naruto, and then Shino and I see both of them look to me and then to each other. All three of us wear similar expressions, confusion and puzzlement as to what Minato could want with us.

_Well, one way to find out._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The door to the Hokage's office clicks shut, and the lock clicks into place. Minato makes hand signs, and a sealing method fades into view on the door and the walls and floor around the entire room. I recognize the sealing method as a privacy seal that will prevent sound and onlookers from spying on the contents of the room.

_Whatever he wants to talk about, he must not want anyone else to know about it. Could it be some secret about Akatsuki or maybe the Kyuubi?_

With the sealing method in place, Minato sighs tiredly and walks around the three of us to his desk. Naruto, Shino and I stand in front of his desk, watching him as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, a somber air around him. On his desk in front of him is yellow pad of paper and a black pen resting in a holder that holds the pen at a 45 degree angle away from the desk toward him. He opens his eyes and reads the three faces before him, a slight smile coming to the right corner of his mouth.

"You three must be wondering what I've called you here for." He says; more statement than question.

I nod, and in my peripheral vision I notice Naruto and Shino doing so as well, the latter pushing his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose afterward.

"I've received a report about your little…" Minato pauses, searching for the right word. "…escapade in front of the village council. I want to hear your side of the story before I take any action on any of the parties involved, thus the seal on the walls and floor."

_Oh, okay, I see. He used that to make sure no one from the Hyuga clan or the council is spying and learns what we have to say. He wants us to be able to explain ourselves without fear of reprisal from a third party, and to feel safe in the knowledge that whatever we say will be between him and us, no one else._

We give our stories, one after the other, and the entire time Minato nods and takes notes. He listens intently as the three of us describe the mood of the council, Naruto's confession of guilt in the matter of striking Hizashi, and Hiraiga's timely arrival and testimony which outright blames Hizashi for the incident in the first place. Minato writes, jotting down the consistencies between our stories, keeping his face neutral the entire time.

Once the three of us are done without testimonies, Minato nods, slips the pad into his desk and returns the pen to the holder.

"You three are dismissed, I'll send for you if I need anything more."

He makes a hand sign, and the sealing method which tattooed the floor, walls and ceiling fades away. He stands up and walks around the desk, moving to the door he undoes the lock with a soft click. He steps away from the door and moves back to his desk, and the three of us leave Minato's office, with Naruto pausing a moment to smile at his father and wave before the three of us depart from his office.

Outside his office, I see two very familiar faces that I did not expect to see again for a long time.

"Good Afternoon, Hinata-chan." Tsunade's voice enters my ears.

I turn to my right and look to see both of the legendary shinobi of Konoha standing there. Jiraiya stands on Tsunade's left with his arms crossed over his chest; Tsunade wears her jacket with her right hand on her hip, her left arm hanging at her side.

"Obaa-chan." Naruto says, recognizing Tsunade, and then glares at Jiraiya. "Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya's face immediately scowls in anger, and he glares at Naruto.

"I'm NOT a pervert you little…"

Tsunade's right fist finds the back of his head, not a hard hit, but a strike nonetheless. Jiraiya's face shifts to a victimized look, and he looks at Tsunade with what I'm told are 'puppy dog' eyes of innocence.

"But I didn't do anything wrong Tsu-chan." Jiraiya protests.

A vein the size of my palm appears in Tsunade's forehead, and her fist finds Jiraiya's skull again, this time it's hard enough to knock the older shinobi on his face, his rather large bottom sticking up into the air.

"I told you not to call me that!" Tsunade growls at him, giving him a look that could kill.

The three of us are silent as this goes on, and Jiraiya wallows in his pain on the ground, a rather comical looking lump sticking up out of the gray hair on his head.

"Um, Tsunade-sensei…" I begin, my voice giving away my general discomfort at the situation.

Tsunade's face immediately softens, and the older blonde woman smiles at me.

"Sorry Hinata-chan." Tsunade apologizes. "You know how this pervert can be sometimes."

"But Tsu-chan, its research." Jiraiya mutters and Tsunade's left foot flicks to the left and hits him in the side of his face, her expression remaining calm and welcoming.

"Did you say something Hinata-chan?" Tsunade asks, ignoring Jiraiya's protest.

I look to my two teammates, and both of them have neutral expressions on their faces. There's a hint of satisfaction in Naruto's eyes, as though he knows that Jiraiya has done something wrong and the abuse he's getting from Tsunade is just punishment.

_What could he think that Jiraiya has done that he'd deserve to be beaten up on by Tsunade-sensei like that? I mean his books are rather lewd, but it isn't as though the entire youth of Konoha are reading them and learning about things they shouldn't, and he's hardly the only adult fiction writer in the world._

"This pervert and I heard you would be having a meeting with the Hokage, and we both decided we'd come see you and your friends." Tsunade explains, giving me a smile, but flashing anger and glancing down to Jiraiya when she says 'This pervert.'

"Oh…" I mutter in understanding.

"So, where are you three headed off to? Did Minato give you a mission?" Tsunade asks, and I shake my head no.

"We actually don't have anything to do right now, we were just on our way out of the tower." I inform both of them.

Jiraiya somehow flashes to his feet. Until a moment ago he appeared unconscious, he now has a serious look on his face.

"Is that so…" He says, cupping his chin with his right hand and holding his elbow with his left. He opens his eyes and a look of mischief appears on his face, his hands reaching out with his fingers curled as though he's holding a ball. "Why don't we go to the hot springs together? They're supposed to have mixed bathing today."

The same vein on Tsunade's forehead practically explodes from her forehead.

"You DIRTY OLD LECHER!" Tsunade screams at him, and her fists find his head again in a flurry of blows.

The fact that the older shinobi doesn't outright shatter or have lasting injuries from the following beating is a testament to his abilities as a shinobi, or the fact that Tsunade doesn't really want to hurt him.

A short minute later Jiraiya lies on the floor, looking like he's been put through the wringer. Tsunade smiles nervously at the three of us.

"Why don't you three go on ahead and do whatever you have planned for today?" Tsunade suggests. "I'll take care of this old pervert here."

Jiraiya, either in intelligence or unconsciousness, doesn't respond.

"Uh, okay…" I mutter.

I lead Naruto and Shino around the mayhem that is both of my former teachers and out of the tower. I glance back at the two of them and I see Tsunade grab Jiraiya by the collar, dragging him into the Hokage's office and slamming the door behind her.

_I feel bad for what's about to happen to you, Jiraiya-sensei._

We walk down the steps from the Hokage's office, through the lobby and out into the streets. Naruto stops on the side of the street, Shino and I stop near him.

"Well, what do we do now?" Naruto asks, slipping his hands into his pant's hip pockets.

I glance to both Naruto and Shino, Jiraiya's suggestion coming to mind.

_We've been working out and moving all day, we could all use a dip in a hot spring to revitalize our bodies and minds._

"Why don't we actually go to the hot springs?" I ask. "Without Jiraiya." I add on almost as an afterthought.

Naruto and Shino contemplate the suggestion a moment, and then both of them look to each other. Naruto shrugs and Shino nods slowly.

"It's been a while since I've been in a hot spring." Naruto comments. "Plus, the Hokage's mansion actually has a private walled in hot spring behind our house, so we don't even have to use the public one."

"I too have not gone to a hot spring in a few weeks." Shino offers.

"It's good to go to a hot springs every so often and it's good for the skin to bathe in the water. Plus it helps to relax the mind and body to take a nice long bath."

"How about we go to the private spring at the Hokage manor?" I offer, and both of them nod their agreement.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Thirty minutes later I sit in the women's side of the Hokage's private hot spring. Thirty foot high bamboo walls surround the twenty foot long oval shaped pool. Another bamboo wall thirty feet high separates the women's from the men's bath. Around the pool there is a stone walkway that can be used for access into and out of the pool.

On the stone walkway I have a towel folded up behind me. My hair is bundled up on top of my head, wrapped in another towel. I sit up to my shoulders in the steaming water, taking a deep breath of the warm moist air. My back sits against the smooth stone wall and my legs rest against the smooth bottom of the pool.

Every muscle in my body seems to relax and the stress of my everyday life seems to fade away while I'm immersed in the hot water.

A figure emerges from within the manor, and I look to see a feminine shape in the mist. The woman approaches the pool, and I see it is Kushina, wrapped in a towel with a towel wrapped around her head as well.

"Good afternoon Ku-…" I stop myself from saying her name, seeing her look at me with a scowl. "Um, Okaa-san." I greet her.

Kushina smiles at me, apparently happy at hearing me greet her as my mother, even though she isn't my biological mother. Kushina walks to the edge of the pool and slips her feet in. Sitting down on the edge of the bath, she smiles at me through the steam.

"It's nice to see you too, Hinata-chan." Kushina returns my greeting.

She dangles her legs in the water for a few moments, and then she unfurls the towel and slips her body into the water. I don't look at Kushina's body as she gets into the bath, since if I ever want to see a naked woman, I can just look in the mirror.

_Besides, she's Naru-kun's mother, how can I think of her like that?_

She sits on the opposite side of the bath, sighing in relaxation as she slips up to her neck in the water.

"It always feels like heaven when I bathe here." Kushina says contentedly.

"It is really relaxing here." I agree with her.

Kushina smiles at me, relief passing in her eyes.

"It's good to see you relaxing and enjoying life a little rather than being all worked up over everything that's going on in the world."

I shrug my shoulders, looking up at the sky above.

"If I could, I'd forget about everything that's going on and just live my life peacefully, but things won't seem to leave me alone."

Kushina nods in understanding, and I can feel her looking at me a long moment before she shifts around the pool, sliding along the bottom of the pool until she sits next to me. Kushina leans in close to me, and she lowers her voice so even I can barely hear it sitting right next to her.

"Have you shown Naruto to the promised land yet?" Kushina whispers, her tone deadly serious.

'_Promised land;' what is that supposed to mean? Wait, could she mean…_

I feel my cheeks flush when I realize what exactly Kushina is implying.

"No, we haven't done anything like that." I inform her, shaking my head no in embarrassment.

Kushina smiles at me, leaning back against the wall of the pool.

"It's good that you're still so obviously in love with my Naruto, and I'm glad that Naruto found someone who will be good to him and treat him like a person rather than just as the child of the Hokage."

I shake my head in denial.

"I never thought of him as just the child of the Hokage." I inform Kushina. "Even when we were at the academy together." I explain to her. "I kept to myself a lot, and I was really busy with my grandmother's extra lessons that I never really paid attention to who was in my class." I continue. "It wasn't until one day during our lunch break that Naruto say down and started talking to me and didn't treat me like I was a freak or a monster that I began to think of him a lot. After that day I began to treasure the time he'd spend with me at lunch talking to me. Even though it didn't cause other kids to open up to me, it gave me hope that not all the kids in my class thought I was a monster. Even though he didn't talk to me everyday, it was something."

"That's good to hear." Kushina says with a smile.

She turns toward the partisan wall separating the male and female sides of the hot spring.

"DID YOU HEAR ALL OF THAT?" Kushina yells toward the wall, and two muffled yelps answer her.

Kushina stands up with her back to me, and she walks to wall with anger in her stride. She scales the wall with little effort, and at the top she leans her head over and glares at the bathers on the other side.

"Eavesdropping isn't a manly thing to do!" Kushina scolds.

"I forewarned both of you, but you failed to heed my warning." Shino calmly says.

"And you'll get yours later Mini-kun!" Kushina growls at her husband. "Now, STAY ON YOUR SIDE!"

With that she hops down from the wall and lands in the water, splashing it from the point of impact.

I sigh to myself and I stand up, grabbing my towel before I step out of the spring and wrap the towel around my body.

"I think I'm going to get out." I tell her. "The blood is starting to rush to my head."

"You might only want to get out for a bit if you wanna relax some more." Kushina suggests, and I shake my head no.

"I've got things I need to think about."

"Is it something to do with Akatsuki?" Kushina asks, and I shake my head no.

"It's something else all together." I tell her.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Since I've gotten out of the bath I've dried off and eaten dinner. I've since dressed, come to the courtyard of the manor, and I am now wearing a purple pair of sweat pants and a matching shirt. I'm here to think. I sit on a small stone, six inches high from the ground. I sit with my legs crossed, and my hands on my knees. My hands are together, my finger tips touching. I close my eyes, and I allow my body to become perfectly still. I calm my mind and open my senses. I begin to feel the energy of the planet all around me, and I take it into my body.

Using what I learned on Myoboku, I bring the natural energy into balance inside my body, and every cell in my body feels alive. I can feel the natural energy bristling inside my body. With the natural energy, I can feel the people of the village, and all the ANBU on guard around the Hokage's mansion. Inside the house there are three large chakra sources, and I recognize all three of the Namikazes.

With the natural energy in my body, my once red rimmed lavender eyes turn yellow, with rectangular irises in them. Above my eye is a red pigment under my skin, which Fukasaku explained to me, signifies my status as a Sage. Fortunately, I can still utilize the Byakugan, and in this form my visual range is nearly doubled, and the amount of detail I can perceive at range is something I've only heard gifted Hyuga clan elders being capable of perceiving.

_And they've trained their whole lives with the Byakugan, and they were considered geniuses, while I had to bleed and sweat for every bit of skill I acquired. Imagine what they'd be able to do if they could use this power too._

I squelch the thought before it can go any further, because I know better than to think that way.

"Natural energy is dangerous." Fukasaku's warning echoes in my ears. "Few people can feel it, and even few can master it. That's why there are so many stone frogs around the lake of oil, each one is a fool who tried to master the Sage Arts, and is now doomed to remain a statue for all time."

I take a deep breath and exhale, allowing the elder toad's warning to fade from my mind. Instead I focus on what's happening around me, and in Sage mode, I can perceive a lot.

The village itself is suddenly teeming and bristling with life and activity, as though the same level of perception afforded to me by the Byakugan is now endowed upon my other senses.

Feeling satisfied that I can in fact still use natural energy, even though I'm no longer on Myoboku, I release the energy back into the planet, flushing it from my body and returning my body to normal. With the natural energy out of my body, my eyes return to their normal pupil-less red rimmed lavender color.

"I can still do it." I whisper to myself. "Even off the mountain."

I look up at the moon, a waxing white crescent hanging in the sky above me. Looking at the moon, I remember looking up at it during what little time I had to recover on Myoboku and the feeling of absolute exhaustion without the natural energy flowing through my body after Fukasaku's fighting lessons.

_I never even told Jiraiya and Tsunade-sensei that I managed to master the Sage Arts when I came back down from Myoboku. Jiraiya asked me if I managed to harness natural energy and I told him I couldn't manage to bring the energy into balance within my body. I even rubbed the top of my head where Fukasaku practically bashed my skull in with that scepter he carries. I even made Fukasaku swear he wouldn't say anything about it to anyone. Even though it's supposed to be some really awesome feat that I've managed to master Senjutsu. _

There's a sound as a door to the manor opens, and I turn around to see Naruto standing in the doorway, his left hand on the door. He wears a black shirt with an orange Konoha 'leaf' design on it and a pair of orange shorts. Upon seeing me recognition flashes in his eyes. I stand up, getting off the rock I sat on during my short meditation.

"There you are." Naruto mutters with relief in his voice.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" I ask casually, cocking my head to the left.

"Mom and dad were kinda worried about you." He explains. "You were really quiet at dinner, and I'm wondering if something's wrong?"

I sigh, looking down at the ground, and then I look up at the moon.

"Something is wrong." I affirm his suspicions. "I'm worried about Hiraiga, and what Hizashi might do to him if the council doesn't lock him up."

"He did say he was willing to die, and he'd die happy if he gave his life for you." Naruto reminds me, and I shake my head in denial.

"I don't want him to die. He doesn't deserve to die for anything he's done. He's only been a faithful shinobi to the Hyuga clan Main House."

Naruto shrugs his shoulders in acceptance.

"There isn't a lot that can be done." He reminds me. "He's a member of the Hyuga clan, and he does fall under the rule of the clan leader."

"Hizashi-teme has no right to call himself the clan leader. He's only in that position because grandmother Hibana died, and I don't want the position."

"Well, what'll you do about it?" Naruto asks. "What CAN you do about it?"

_What can I do about it?_

A thought pops into my head at that, a thought that I can really get behind.

I smile and walk up to Naruto, and at first he wears a look of confusion as I bring my lips to him and give him a kiss. During the short kiss I manage to slip my tongue into his mouth for a half second before I pull back and lick my lips, cleaning them of any errant saliva.

"You're a genius, you know that Naruto?" I compliment him, and he smiles happily.

"I should ask you questions more often if that's how you're going to react." Naruto says with a grin.

I give as innocent smile as I can.

"I didn't know you liked it that much when I kiss you." I respond, my tone obviously sarcastic.

He opens his mouth to say something, and I kiss him again, cutting him off before he can utter a syllable. I pull back after a moment, a serious expression on my face and in my eyes.

"Naruto, do you really love me?"

He nod, his face becoming almost deathly serious.

"Absolutely Hinata, I can't imagine how my life would be different without you in it."

I can't help but smile at his words, and the absolute conviction in his voice.

"I'm happy to hear that." I begin, searching for the right words. "If you want, I'm ready to take our relationship further…" I trail off.

His eyes practically glow with recognition.

"Do you mean what I think you mean?" Naruto asks.

I smile as seductively as I can, and Naruto's fingers twitch in anticipation.

"Ach-HEM!" Kushina's voice shatters the mood between Naruto and me.

My head looks to the manor door in a flash, and Naruto's head spins around like an owl, locking onto the source of the noise. Kushina stands in the doorway wearing her pajamas. She has her arms crossed over her chest and has an obviously less than thrilled expression on her face. She lightly taps her foot against the wooden floor.

"Hinata would be wise to do me the favor of not seducing my son outside in front of me and everyone else looking on." Kushina reminds me.

I quickly sidestep away from him, my face practically turning beet red in embarrassment. The only thing I can do is nod in acquiescence, and Naruto mirrors the gesture.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Both Naruto and I were led back to our rooms by Kushina, who gave both of us a stern talking to about choosing the proper time and place. It's been an hour since then, and I hear footsteps outside my door.

There's a knock at my door, and an older female voice comes through the door.

"Hinata-sama, there is a visitor here for you. He awaits you outside the main gate." The woman explains.

I get up and walk to the door, and open it to see a young woman wearing an ANBU uniform and a fox mask standing in the hallway. I immediately stifle my surprise, reminding myself that the ANBU serve the Hokage directly, and there is likely a detail assigned directly to the manor to guard it and its inhabitants.

"I'll be out shortly." I inform the ANBU, who nods once.

"I'll inform your guest." She says with a bow, and then disappears in a puff of smoke. I go about dressing, getting into my normal mission uniform before I depart from my room.

Ten minutes after the ANBU visited me in the night I leave my bedroom and make my way through the manor. Having lived in the home for as long as I have, I know the layout of the house from top to bottom. I make my way to the front door and slip my feet into my shoes before I exit the house proper. Once I'm outside of the manor I walk through the courtyard toward the front door. I glance around, and I see several ANBU standing at attention, cloaking in shadow on the manor and the wall surrounding it. I move to the front door and I grasp the handle. I open the door inward to reveal Sasuke Uchiha standing there in his mission gear, the Kusanagi sword slung on his back.

The young Uchiha wears an expression of annoyance on his face, but upon seeing me his mood brightens. Even though he does look happier, he still wears his seemingly patented look of annoyance.

"Sasuke-kun, what do you want at this hour?" I ask as politely as I can.

"I'm here to take you out on a date." He says matter of factly.

My first response WOULD be to scowl at him in disbelief but I keep my face neutral.

"It's late, and I have to get up tomorrow, like you should."

Anger flashes in his eyes, and he glares angry daggers at me.

"I came to take you out on a date." He repeats himself with determination in his voice.

It's then that a realization hits me.

_He'll drag me out of here to wherever he wants to go if he has to._

I sigh in frustration, breathing out slowly before I lock eyes with him again.

"Will you at least wait here while I go get my mantle?" I ask, and Sasuke scowls at me.

"Don't wear it; it's annoying to have it obscuring your face." He tells me. "Come along." He says, and then starts walking as though there's no chance that I won't follow.

I start after him, leaving two feet between me and the Uchiha boy. We walk in silence for ten minutes, and I try not to think about where he might be taking me or what he wants to do once we get there. Instead I watch him, waiting for him to make the slightest move toward me.

_The second he tries to touch me thinking that I'll have sex with him, I'll see to it that he never uses the thing between his legs for anything other than going to the bathroom again._

After ten minutes he stops and turns around, a very annoyed look on his face.

"Why are you acting like you are?" He asks.

_Why am I acting like I am?_

I give him a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"I've seen you and your team walking side by side together laughing and smiling, absolutely nothing like you right now." He explains to me. "Now you act like you're on your way to a funeral." He continues. "I'm attractive and I'm strong, and other girls like me, so why aren't you happy to be out alone with me?" He asks in conceit.

_Well gee, it couldn't be that I'm happier with Shino and Naruto because I've gotten to know them, and neither of them have ever had a curse seal crawl across their body and become a murderous maniac that wanted to burn me alive?_

"The last time I was alone with you like this, you tried to kill me, you used that curse mark and went insane."

Sasuke nods slowly, clarity coming to his gaze.

"I understand; it's that blonde bastard's fault." He mutters in anger.

_What? How can he think its Naruto's fault that I remember that he tried to kill me?_

"If Naruto wasn't around, there wouldn't be anyone standing between us." He says, more to himself than to me. "Yes, that must be it."

He starts to walk toward me and past me back toward the Hokage's manor, and it clicks just what exactly he's planning.

"STOP THIS INSTANT!" I order him using everything I learned about how to command people using my voice from my grandmother.

He half turns toward me, and I drop into a Gentle Fist stance, activating my Byakugan and glaring at him with bloodlust in my eyes.

"If you hurt Naruto, I'll make it my life's goal to rip your dick off and show it down your throat."

He nods again, and oddly enough there's no bloodlust or a sense of challenge coming from him. Instead he turns and faces me fully, relaxing his posture.

"I understand that." He tells me and I relax somewhat, lowering my arms as he continues speaking. "I'll just become a better man, I'll outclass Naruto in everyway, and then you won't have any choice but to love me instead of him."

_Can he get any crazier than he is right now?_

He approaches me, and I nearly jump in surprise. He kneels down in front of me and takes me right hand gently into his hands.

"I shall see you again soon." He says, kissing my hand before he disappears in a puff of smoke.

I look down at my hand, feeling the moisture from his lips, and I shake my head in disgust.

_Have to clean my hand!_

I turn and take off back to the Hokage manor, turning off my Byakugan as I run. I cover the distance in half the time it took Sasuke and me to get there, and I practically fly through the front gate and through the courtyard. I sling my shoes from my feet at the front door and practically fly through the hallways of the manor to the nearest bathroom. My eyes lock on a sink and I turn on the water, sticking my hand under the slowly warming water. I grab a nearby wash cloth and start scrubbing at my hand, the desire to get Sasuke's saliva off of my skin burning through me.

_I never wanted his affection and unlike Ino and Sakura I never asked for it, so why does he have to chase after me? Why can't he be happy with Sakura?_

"He's crazy, and he wouldn't know happiness if it came up and bit him in the ass." I mutter to myself while scrubbing my hand.

The door to the bathroom opens behind me, and I turn and look to see a very tired looking Kushina standing in the doorway in her pajamas.

"I thought you were in your room Hina-chan, what're you doing in the bathroom so late dressed like that?"

"I just had to use the bathroom." I respond and I finish scrubbing my hand.

"Why aren't you wearing your pajamas, and why not use the bathroom attached to your bedroom? Plus I'd say you've just come in from outside."

I sigh in resignation.

_Kushina is an ANBU level shinobi after all._

"Sasuke Uchiha came to visit me. He demanded that I walk with him." I explain to her.

"Why would he do that?" Kushina asks unknowingly.

I explain to my mother-and-law the events that transpired between me and Sasuke Uchiha. I go into detail about how he tried to kill me and what's happened between us.

"Is Naruto aware of this?" Kushina asks, and I shake my head no.

"I harbor no feelings for Sasuke Uchiha other than grim distaste."

"Have you told this Sasuke that you don't like him?"

I nod glumly.

"He won't seem to accept my rejection, because he's said that he's going 'to become a better person' so I'll love him instead of Naruto."

_As if my feelings are as dubious as he thinks they are._

Kushina shakes her head slowly.

"Naruto told me that this Sasuke and a Sakura Haruno are supposed to be a couple?" She asks, and I nod in affirmation.

"They are, but Sasuke is only stringing her along until I fall for him, and then he'll dump Sakura like used garbage."

Kushina sighs tiredly.

"Finish up and get to bed Hina-chan." Kushina finally says. "You don't have to worry though, Naruto is a fine young man and he and you were made for each other. There's nothing this Sasuke Uchiha can do to change that."

"Thank you, Ku-…" I stop myself, and I can feel the scowl from the red haired woman behind me. "Okaa-san." I correct myself.

"Good night, Hina-chan." Kushina says before she leaves the doorway and closes the door behind her.

I finish scrubbing my hand, and once I've dried it with a nearby towel I look at myself in the mirror above the sink, my red lined eyes staring back at me.

_I only hope you're right Kushina-san._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning, after Naruto and I eat breakfast, we leave the Hokage manor and meet up with Haruka and Shino for morning calisthenics. We work out with the ANBU woman for two hours, running, stretching; doing push ups and sit-ups until finally she calls a halt to it all.

"We're heading to the tower for a meeting with the Hokage." Haruka informs us all.

"Are we taking a new mission today?" I ask, and Haruka keeps her face neutral.

"We're heading to the tower to meet with Hokage-dono. From there he'll decide what we'll do from now on."

With that, the four of us make our way to the tower. The trip to the tower is about as routine as can be, and I wear the mantle during the short trip, though I can tell that the three of them don't like the fact that I'm wearing the hooded cloak. When we arrive at the tower, we are rushed to the Hokage's office to be seen immediately.

We get there so quickly I don't have the time to actually take the cloak off and stuff it back into my backpack before we open the door to Minato's office. I wear the hooded cloak, though the hood itself is down. Once we're inside the Hokage's office, Minato himself closes the door behind him. Inside the office are two uniformed ANBU, and they have a somber mood between them. One is man, the other ANBU a woman. One wears a fox mask, the other a boar mask. Minato sighs as he walks back to his desk, sitting down in the chair behind the desk.

"I have some news that you may not want to hear." He says to all of us. "However, it is news that must be delivered."

Haruka steps forward, our team's leader.

"What is it Hokage-sama?" Haruka asks.

Minato looks at her, and then to the two silent ANBU.

"Haruka, you've been reassigned to the ANBU. Another Jounin has been selected for this team."

Without a word of protest, Haruka nods in understanding. The boar mask wearing ANBU withdraws a coyote mask and hands it to Haruka, who takes it and slips it onto her face. With the mask on, she turns to the three of us.

"Good luck, it's my last order for the three of you to stay alive until we can meet again, when all of this is over." Haruka says from behind the mask.

I nod along with Naruto and Shino, and after that the three ANBU leave the Hokage's office in three puffs of smoke, leaving Naruto Shino and I alone with Minato. The Hokage sighs in resignation, and I turn back to look at him before I speak.

"Hokage-sama, just who is our new Jounin leader?" I ask with my curiosity peeked.

"A Jounin was selected earlier this morning, and enough of the Village Council was behind the decision that if I vetoed it, they could override it."

My curiosity apparently spreads to at least Naruto, as he opens his mouth as well.

"Who's the team's new leader, dad?" Naruto asks, and Minato sighs again.

He stands up from behind his desk and walks around it and the three of us to the door. He opens it and sticks his head out, turning his head left to presumably a guard standing there.

"Go get 'him' will you?" Minato asks, and I can hear a muffled affirmative from behind the door.

Minato closes the door again, and he tiredly walks back to his desk, almost plopping down into the chair.

"Your new leader has been waiting since the village council made its decision this morning, he'll be here shortly."

With that, I wait.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Five minutes tick off my watch, every minute feeling like it's lasting an hour. I can feel my heart beating faster in my chest in anticipation, and at the same time another part of me is weary.

_No, not weary, paranoid._

I can't describe why I feel the sense of foreboding unpleasantness, but regardless it has been there since Minato dismissed Haruka and seemed less than thrilled with the council's decision for a replacement. That 'bad feeling' has had time to fester and grow during the seemingly endless five minutes, and now a part of my racing thoughts is in full on paranoia.

_It's got to be some wacko or maybe it's some former criminal or someone who wants me dead, or…_

The door to the hallway opens, and a familiar figure stands in the doorway, a smug expression on his boyish features.

_No, it's worse than I thought it was._

"SASUKE!" Naruto practically screams in a mix of surprise and anger.

My jaw practically hits the floor in disbelief.

_As if things weren't bad enough, now I have to deal with this moron when I'm on missions too?_

If the Jounin Uchiha noticed Naruto's outburst, he doesn't show it as he confidently walks into the room as though he is the Hokage himself, and the boy closes the door behind him. After the click of the door's bolt sliding into the frame, a silence falls over us, until Shino turns toward the Hokage and pushes his dark glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Hokage-sama…" Shino begins, ignoring Sasuke completely. "Is this the man you meant earlier?"

Minato nods his answer.

"This Jounin already has a shinobi team." Shino points out. "I believe it is currently led by Kakashi Hatake."

Minato sighs again.

"Sasuke Uchiha has already completed the Jounin exam, and as such is a fully qualified Jounin. He is the equal of Kakashi Hatake or Kurenai Yuuhi."

I flinch at the mention of my old teacher, and I feel a hint of shame at having not gone to see her and her baby more than once.

Sasuke however can't seem to stop smiling, his arrogance coming off of him in waves that seem to thicken the air around him. His eyes stay locked on me, and I turn my head away, avoiding his gaze. Even though I'm not looking at him, I can feel his eyes on me, and a part of me can feel him taking off my clothes in his mind, stripping me down until I'm as naked as the day I was born.

"I'm looking forward to working with you all." He finally says, though I can still feel his eyes locked on me, as though he's trying to violate me.

Apparently Naruto sees the same thing I see in the Uchiha's eyes, and Naruto steps between me and Sasuke. I can feel the restrained anger coming from him, and I'm glad for his presence between me and Sasuke.

"I've heard about you and how crazy you get Sasuke." Naruto growls, and then turns to his father. "Dad, do you really think if it's really smart to have him as our team's captain when he tends to go rather…INSANE around Hinata?"

Minato sighs in frustration.

"The source of that…problem is gone now; you three have nothing to worry about from him now."

"Are you afraid I'll outclass you, Naruto-chan?" Sasuke pipes up, and Naruto balls his hands into fists.

A yellow glow begins to surround Naruto, and I reach out and touch him on the shoulder, a gentle reminder that he shouldn't be doing this. The yellow glow around his body fades, and Naruto glares daggers at Sasuke.

"I'm not scarred of you, and you try anything funny I'll clean your clock and make sure you get acquainted with the number of ceiling tiles in a Konoha hospital room!"

Sasuke smiles cockily. His right hand reaches for his sword. Judging from the arrogance coming from Sasuke, I can blatantly tell the Uchiha is looking to beat Naruto into a pulp and settle this dispute here and now. Sasuke raises his left hand, bending his fingers at his knuckles, and then bends his four fingers back toward him in the universal 'come on' gesture. Naruto tenses, ready to jump on Sasuke and pound him into the ground.

_Oh no, this ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN!_

I step between them, intentionally putt my back to Sasuke and staring straight into Naruto's blue eyes.

"BOTH of you need to relax." I tell them both, glancing over my shoulder to Sasuke for a split second. "We have to work together when we're on missions, but it doesn't change what we do when we're off duty. Since we're off duty now, we don't have to do anything you say Uchiha-san." I finish.

At my calling Sasuke by his last name and speaking so formally about him, both of them seem to relax, and both of them seem to interpret my words differently. I turn to Minato, who has remained silent this entire time, watching the event unfold before him with a smile on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

_He's enjoying this, enjoying watching his son and the Uchiha prodigy argue, and deep down he probably wants to see Naruto beat the living crap out of Sasuke using the Isshunken. I'd really like to see that, but it wouldn't be good if Naruto won and then got thrown in jail for assaulting a fellow shinobi of Konoha._

"What's our next mission, Hokage-dono?" I ask Minato, still standing between the two boys.

"The day after tomorrow an ambassador from the Hidden Cloud Village will leave his village and make his way here for peace talks." He explains. "You will be sent to meet the ambassador and the escort, as the Hidden Cloud specifically asked for Konoha's Jinchuriki to be dispatched especially to meet their delegation. You'll be leaving the day after tomorrow at 0600 for the border, and you'll have twenty four hours to get there, and another forty eight hours to get the dignitary back to Konoha." Minato finishes.

Shino steps forward, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Are we all that are being dispatched, Hokage-sama?" Shino asks, and Minato nods his confirmation.

"Yes, your four are all competent shinobi, and I expect you to act like it during the mission. Any questions?"

We give our acknowledgements, and Minato nods again.

"You're all dismissed then, enjoy the holiday tomorrow."

The four of us walk out of the tower together in silence. However, once the four of us hit the streets, Naruto immediately gets away from Sasuke, putting at least two arm lengths of distance between them. I instinctively stand near him, and Shino separates himself from the three of us, a casual onlooker in all of this.

Naruto glares an icy glare at Sasuke.

"While you may be our shinobi leader during missions, you aren't my friend, and I don't want you presuming as much."

Sasuke smirks back at Naruto.

"What would I want with friendship from you?" Sasuke retorts.

Naruto growls in anger, his left hand balling up into a fist. Naruto tenses his left arm, and Shino clears his throat loudly.

"You both should relax, as it would not be prudent for you both to risk injury a day before we depart on a mission." Shino comments.

I quickly nod my agreement.

"Shino's right, if you hurt yourselves now it'd affect our mission performance!" I quickly agree.

Sasuke relaxes his stance, smirking confidently.

"Not like Naruto could touch me." Sasuke says in confidence.

Naruto crosses his arms over his chest, and then turns his head away from Sasuke.

"Not that YOU could touch ME." Naruto mutters.

There's a silence between the two of them after that, and the distrust between Sasuke and Naruto is palpable.

"Maybe we should all go our separate ways." I recommend to the group. "We should go home and not have any contact until the mission."

Naruto nods.

"That's fine with me." Naruto agrees.

Shino nods in agreement, and Sasuke seems to accept it, though I can tell the Uchiha doesn't necessarily like it.

"Well, good night then Shino, Uchiha-san." I say to Shino and then Sasuke.

Naruto nods to Shino, and then completely ignores Sasuke as he and I begin to walk back toward the Hokage manor.

"Hinata, wait a moment." Sasuke speaks up, and I stop, and Naruto stops a step and half in front of me.

I half turn toward Sasuke, keeping my expression neutral.

"You're my commander when I'm on duty as a shinobi of Konoha." I state for him. "When I am off duty, you have no authority over me or anyone else on the team."

Sasuke growls in frustration, and Shino pushes his sunglasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Hinata does have a point." Shino comments.

With that, Naruto and I leave earshot. With the two of us walking away, and since Sasuke doesn't pursue the matter any further, I breathe a sigh of relief.

_Well, at least he's given up, at least for now._

I glance to Naruto, and it's obvious to me that he's brooding, still obviously angry over Sasuke and what just happened.

"You want to talk Naru-kun?" I ask, and Naruto scoffs.

"It's just that damn Sasuke is so damn conceited. It really pisses me off."

"I agree, and I am sorry that he forced himself on our squad. He only requested to be assigned to our squad because of me."

Naruto looks at me, and his complete cluelessness is apparent in his expression.

"What are you talking about Hina-hime?" Naruto asks curiously.

"Last night, Sasuke-san came to visit the manor last night and wanted to see me. He tried to lead me on a so called 'date' and I flat out refused. He went home after telling me he'd become a better man than you, and I think that's why he's done this, to try and get more time with me."

Naruto scoffs, shaking his head slowly.

"There's no way he'll ever be a better person than I am, so what in the world is he thinking?"

I shrug my shoulders in resignation.

"I don't know, but my feelings for you aren't going to change because of this, and I tried to explain that to Sasuke-san, but he wouldn't listen."

Naruto grins, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't think even a hundred of my shadow clones combined could beat that into him, as thick headed as he is."

I smile at Naruto's joke, and Naruto cocks his head toward the manor.

"We should head home, mom and dad are gone, and so we'll have the house to ourselves."

I nod my agreement.

"Let's go."


	28. Chapter 28

(Well, this Chapter 28, and this is chapter many of you have been waiting for, as a certain something happens at the end of this one that many of you have been looking forward to. I can't imagine the reactions I'll get, but I can only say that nothing graphic will ever happen in this story, and the scenes of intimacy will be reminiscent of Sean Connery era James Bond scenes (they lie down fully clothed, camera cuts away, reopens the next morning or after the act, not showing anything) so those of you looking for a lemon will be sadly disappointed. Other than that, I don't have anything else to say, leave a review or comment, and enjoy the read, it's about 28 pages, so it's more my normal length. Oh yeah, one last thing, one of my reviews pointed out that I should have Hinata explain to Naruto that Jiraiya never actually did anything with her, and that wasn't in my original outline, but you'll find it in here. According to my beta, he 'hacked' this up, and I don't really know what he's talking about. I've gone over it, and had to change only a few minor things. Anyway, enjoy! )

Chapter 28: The Day Off

I lay on my bed in the Hokage manor, nearly two hours since Naruto and Sasuke went their separate ways. I lie on my bed with my hands behind my back and look up at the plain ceiling with the light off, enjoying the downtime.

_Though, Naruto still doesn't seem too happy with Sasuke being our new team leader. _

After Naruto and I got back to the manor, Naruto said he was going to go to his room for a while, and then take a dip in the private spring behind the manor. I told him to have a nice bath, and then went to my own room.

_He isn't exactly all too happy right now, and I don't think he'd be in the mood for anything ecchi. Though we are alone together, and something ecchi might be exactly what's on his mind._

I roll over and put my back to the door. The door is near the left side of the room, and I currently face the right wall if you face the door. After a few moments, there's a knock at the door.

_Naruto? I thought he was going to get a bath in the hot spring._

I sit up, facing the door.

"Yes?" I ask, trying to project my voice through the door.

"Um, some company has arrived."

_What, who could be here?_

I get up off the bed and move to the door. I grasp the handle and open the door to reveal Naruto standing with a towel wrapped around his waist and his head. His chest is wet from a recent dip in the spring. I blush at seeing his bare muscular chest, and Naruto does so as well, except he blushes in embarrassment.

"The guests are waiting in the sitting room near the front door." He explains to me. "Will you go talk with them while I dress?"

I nod my understanding.

He gives me a nod and then moves down the hall, disappearing into his own room. I slip through my door and close it behind me. I quickly move through the Hokage's mansion toward the sitting room Naruto indicated. Once I get into the sitting room, I find the two guests Naruto was talking about.

_Jiraiya, Tsunade-sensei, what are the two of them doing here? With both of them working with the village council and Tsunade running the Konoha medical academy shouldn't they be busy?_

The two legends of Konoha sit next to each other on the sofa in the sitting room. The room itself is centered around a darkly stained coffee table with a sofa on one side, a small loveseat opposite the sofa. On the other ends of the coffee table are two recliner chairs.

"Tsunade-sensei, Jiraiya-sensei…" I greet both of them, bowing politely. "It's an honor to be visited by the both of you." I say, moving gracefully around the coffee table opposite the two legends.

Both of them nod toward me in a return greeting, and Jiraiya seems to relax into the sofa, putting one arm on the top of the sofa, _behind_ Tsunade.

"It's good to see you as well Hinata-chan." Jiraiya returns my vocal greeting. "We both came to talk to you about your recent squad rearrangement."

I can't help but avoid their gazes.

"So, you heard about all of that, and what happened…" I trail off.

"Yes, we did." Tsunade agrees. "Sasuke was approved as the team captain, and the village council has already ratified the decision."

"But who will take Sasuke's place on his team?" I ask.

"They'll probably leave the spot vacant. Both Sakura and Kiba are Chunin, so they really don't need the fourth person when you combine the two of them with Kakashi Hatake."

I sigh and take a seat on the love seat, trying not to flop into the seat.

"It's just my luck that I get stuck with the psycho pretty boy who's obsessed with me." I mutter dryly.

Jiraiya grins mischievously.

"You should be so lucky." He begins. "You get a team full of attractive men who would sleep with you at the drop of a ryo."

Tsunade's fist finds the back of his skull, and I shake my head in disgust.

"What do you both _really_ want?" I ask, knowing better than to swallow that excuse.

Tsunade's expression of anger disappears, and Jiraiya sits up straight, ignoring the rather large lump on the top of his head. The Toad Hermit's expression has become deadly serious, not the normal happy go lucky attitude he usually sports, especially when he wants to perform 'research.'

"We're both worried about you having…anger problems with Sasuke around."

_And those 'anger problems' would be me losing my mind and the Kyuubi's chakra getting out and taking over my rational thought processes. They're worried that I might have a repeat episode of what happened when I was training with them._

"We know how you can get when you get really angry Hinata, and we don't want that to happen again."

"I haven't had an 'episode' since that time during our training together." I retort.

"Yes, but if you were to have an episode in the village, it's possible that you could level the village, and kill a lot of people." Jiraiya reminds me.

I glance up to see Naruto standing in the doorway, and I mentally kick myself for not noticing him the second he came into the room.

"What're you guys talking about?" Naruto asks with his voice part surprise and part anger.

Jiraiya glances at Naruto and then looks to me with confusion in his eyes.

"You haven't told him yet?" Jiraiya asks; pointing at Naruto with his thumb.

I shake my head no.

"No, I haven't told him." I respond.

"I'd rather not be the one to say this…" Jiraiya trails off.

"I will." I respond, cutting Jiraiya short. "During my training, Jiraiya-sensei was attempting to teach me how to release and control the Kyuubi's chakra." I begin, explaining the events of the past. "However, one time I lost consciousness and the Kyuubi took control of my body. When I came to, I was surrounded by destruction. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade-sensei stood over me and appeared as though they had been through a ten round fight against the Hokage."

With that, I stop and Naruto looks at me and then to Jiraiya and Tsunade. Both of my former teachers nod their agreements to my story. Seeing this, Naruto gains a look of disbelief, as though he doesn't believe what I'm saying.

"It's the truth." Jiraiya affirms for me.

Naruto shakes his head in denial.

"But, I've seen her glow red before, and she's never started ripping things apart." Naruto argues.

Jiraiya shakes his head slowly.

"This was much more than her simply glowing red." Jiraiya explains for him. "The chakra from the demon was so intense it burned off her skin and her blood began to mix with the chakra from the demon. She literally looked like a miniature version of the Kyuubi. She ravaged everything she saw and the only that stopped her was a sealing formula given to me by your father that I managed to get onto her, thanks to an ample distraction from Tsunade. After that, Tsunade suggested a different training method, and I was inclined to agree."

For a moment, the entire room is as silent as a tomb. I look to Naruto, and the blonde boy wears an expression of stunned disbelief on his face. He looks to me, and I meet his eyes for a split second. I nod my head in shame, feeling as though I personally did every scratch and destroyed every tree.

_In a way, I did do all those things. Even though it wasn't really me controlling my body, if I hadn't passed out then the demon never would've gained control and started attacking people. _

"It's true." I begin, sounding and feeling guiltier with every word. "If I were to draw too much of the Kyuubi's power, I'd become a danger to myself and the village."

"But, you can't just lose control to the demon, can you?" Naruto asks.

I shake my head no.

"Since the incident, both Jiraiya and Tsunade-sensei trained me to feel the demonic chakra surging into my own chakra, and I've learned to shun it, though I can tell that the Kyuubi doesn't like it."

"When you lose it, can you be controlled at all?" Naruto asks curiously, and it's Jiraiya who answers him.

"The First Hokage had the power to make any of the tailed demons obey him like his pets, and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan is rumored to able to do it as long as the user is skilled enough with it. That's the main reason that Sasuke's request was quickly agreed to, because it would free up an ANBU and keep a Sharingan close to the Kyuubi."

_Well, at least that explains why they made Mr. Psycho my team leader._

Naruto nods his understanding, and then looks to me with a serious expression in his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me about all of this sooner?" Naruto asks me.

I look down in shame, avoiding his gaze.

"I thought you might think I was a monster, and you'd distance yourself from me if you thought I might hurt you." I respond, sounding weak and guilty.

Shock flashes through Naruto's eyes. Without another word Naruto turns and walks out of the room with an angry air about him.

I open my mouth to say something, but I can't bring myself to say anything, each of Naruto's steps a validation of my fears. I look toward both of my former teachers, and I begin to feel anger boil in my veins.

_If they hadn't come, none of this would've happened._

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade have even expressions on their faces, and I feel my trimmed fingernails biting into my palms.

"Calm down Hinata, Naruto wasn't really angry." Tsunade explains to me.

I stand up.

"What are you talking about? That he just walked out in anger is obvious!"

Jiraiya shakes his head no.

"Naruto was offended, not angry Hinata." Jiraiya informs me.

"What's the difference?" I demand from him, feeling my emotions running high now, and I don't care. "He still thinks I'm a monster!"

Jiraiya smirks calmly.

"Why don't you use those prodigious eyes of yours and find him and talk to him?" Jiraiya suggests. "I doubt he went far."

I take Jiraiya's suggestion, and I activate my Byakugan. Its insight fills me, and I can easily find Naruto standing on a nearby balcony connected to a second floor sitting room.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." I say to both of them before I leave the room.

During the short walk, the veins around my eyes recede and my face returns to normal. The balcony Naruto is standing on is connected to the sitting room by a pair of double sliding glass doors with curtains drawn back. I open and close the door to the balcony, and I find Naruto with his back to the doors, leaning against the balcony railing. He stands near the right corner of the balcony. I walk up to his left and intentionally don't touch him. I lean against the railing looking out of the balcony in a similar position to Naruto. I look to his face, and I see him looking out over the village, not really looking at anything.

_He's thinking, about what I wonder?_

I turn away from him and look out to the horizon, not really looking at anything as well. For a torturously long few moments, both Naruto and I are silent. Finally, I let a low sigh escape from my lips, and I duck my head, closing my eyes afterward.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." I apologize.

"Did you really think I thought you were a monster?" Naruto responds, keeping his gaze forward.

"A part of me did." I respond, and he turns his head toward me before he speaks.

"What do you mean?"

"A part of me has always known I was different from other people, more than just being a member of the main house of the Hyuga clan. When grandmother told me about the Kyuubi, it gave light to the secret that people were keeping from me, and that I had to keep it from other people, unless I wanted them to think of me as a monster." I explain to him. "When Jiraiya and Tsunade told me what I did, and the fact that I nearly killed both of them it was as though everything evil ever said about me was vindicated, and I knew that part of me, the part of me that is the Kyuubi, is as evil and demonic as everyone made me out to be. I just thought that if you learned about all of that, then you'd come to the same conclusion." I finish.

After that, Naruto is quiet for a long moment before he speaks again.

"The Kyuubi may be a part of you, but it isn't you. That's what I think." He explains to me.

I cock my head to the left in questioning.

"What do you mean?"

"While you carry the Kyuubi, it doesn't change the fact that you're still Hinata, just like my father carrying the title of Yellow Flash and Hokage doesn't change who he is; a strong, reliable and caring man. Just the same as you being a Jinchuriki doesn't change that you're a kind, loyal and sometimes shy person." He explains to me. "Titles and designations don't dictate who people are; they're just a part of a larger whole that makes up who people are. You understand Hinata?" He asks, looking down at me.

I can feel tears in my eyes, and I can't help but sob his name.

"Naruto…"

I embrace him, and I bury my face in his chest. Though I weep tears of joy, I manage to put words together in a sensible sequence.

"I'm so happy to hear you say that, Naru-kun." I whimper against his chest.

The young son of the Hokage holds me close, his embrace strong and reassuring.

"It's all right Hinata, I don't blame you." He soothes me.

I nod, pulling my head back before I wipe my tears on my sleeve. I look up into his pretty blue eyes, and I can see the caring he feels for me there, the desire to see me happy and in turn be happy with me. I start to move closer to him almost unconsciously, my face drawn toward his, and my lips nearly meet his when a woman clearing her throat shatters whatever romantic mood Naruto and I had.

Both Naruto and I look to the door that leads back into the manor to see Kushina standing there with a disapproving expression on her face, wearing her magenta colored blouse and light tan dress. The scowl on her face is unmistakable. Jiraiya stands behind Kushina, his right hand making a 'V' for victory and he's giving the both of us a thumb up with his left hand, a grin on his face. Looking at the two of them, Naruto and I practically fly apart in embarrassment.

"Would you two young people kindly come inside and assist me in entertaining our guests?" Kushina practically demands, her voice a throaty growl.

Naruto and I quickly agree without hesitation.

"Yes ma'am!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Several hours later, I sit on my bed in my bedroom with the light off. The sound of four drunken people singing in a slurred lyrical tribute to a 'classic' song from my parent's generation is thankfully muffled by my closed door.

After Kushina interrupted Naruto and my 'near kiss' both Naruto and I did whatever we could to assist Kushina in entertaining Jiraiya and Tsunade as guests of the family. That is, until an hour ago when a rather large bottle of sake and four ceramic cups entered the equation, and then both Naruto and I decided to retire to our separate bedrooms while the adults began to drink, and drink and drink…

Since tomorrow is a holiday for the village, the four of them can drink to their heart's content and not have to be up and on duty at the first light of dawn. The whole of the 'regular' Konoha shinobi, basically the non-ANBU, have the day off tomorrow, so the adults are free to get falling down drunk. However, the ANBU still have to report for duty tomorrow, as well as the 'essential' personal of the village, like the Hokage and some of the village council members. Because of the holiday, Minato can come in a few hours late, hangover or otherwise.

_Minato is a genius shinobi, maybe he developed a ninjutsu that combats a hangover or somewhat dulls the pain from the oft-reviled condition. _

I shake my head to myself, looking up at the dark ceiling. Moonlight gently wafts in from the drawn shades of my bedroom's single window.

"How Minato-sama deals with a hangover is his problem, not mine." I mutter to myself.

_Being the Jinchuriki that damn fox probably prevents me from getting drunk or it'll make me dangerous if I decided to tie one on. With my accelerated healing rate, my body might burn up alcohol before it has the chance to render me inebriated. _

On that thought, I get up off the bed and take my clothes off before I walk into the bathroom connected to my bedroom. I take a long hot shower, cleaning myself from the day's exertion. I enjoy every second of the shower, and when I'm done I get out and towel myself off. I leave the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and once I'm out of the bathroom I quickly don the pajamas given to me by Kushina right after I got back from the village. Once I'm in the pajamas I get ready to go to bed when there's a knock at my bedroom door.

_I wonder who it could be at this time of night. It's probably Naruto, Kushina and everyone else in the living room is too drunk to just stand in front of a door without saying anything._

"Just a second." I call toward the door.

I get up from the bed and walk toward the door. I open the door to reveal Naruto in his pajamas, and the blonde boy wears an expression of embarrassment.

"What's wrong Naruto?" I ask curiously.

"Uh, nothing!" He quickly stammers. "Uh, tomorrow is a holiday, and if you'd like to come I have a reservation at a really nice restaurant for dinner." He finishes.

I raise an eyebrow in questioning.

"You mean like a date, Naru-kun?" I ask tentatively.

He nods once, his cheeks beginning to flush in embarrassment.

_I haven't actually been on a proper date with him since the two of us started 'dating' so I guess I should. _

"Yes, I'd like to go on a date with you, Naru-kun."

His face immediately brightens at my agreement to his request.

"Thanks Hina-hime." He says.

He starts to walk away, and stops three steps from my door, turning his head around to face me.

"The restaurant requires dress attire, so you'll have to wear like a fancy dress." Naruto explains.

_Dress attire? I don't own any formal clothes beyond the formal robes that I took from the Hyuga manor after I left. But those kinds of clothes aren't right for eating at a restaurant catering to a mature crowd and setting. Besides that, I doubt that the clothes even fit me anymore with all the growing I did while I was gone from the village. _

Before I can say anything to him, Naruto takes off down the hall.

"Good night, Hina-hime." He says over his shoulder before he zips into his bedroom door, closing it behind him.

I close my own bedroom door and sigh, knocking my forehead against the door.

_Great._

"I'll have to up get early tomorrow morning and go dress shopping." I mutter to myself.

_Money shouldn't be a problem though; I've got a nest egg of mission payments that should be able to pay for any dress I want to buy. The problem will be something else all together._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning I wake up early and shower again, dressing in my normal mission outfit I leave the Hokage manor and make my way toward one of the village's many boutiques.

I stand in the middle of the boutique, looking at the woman behind the counter, her hair tied in a bun at the top of her head, wearing a pressed business suit. The woman's purple suit is flawless, and she stands with her hands on her hips in an expression of annoyance.

"Get out of my store." The woman says in absolute disgust.

I shake my head in denial.

"I can pay, I have money." I try to argue, and the woman glares daggers at me.

"You can go get your demon slut clothes somewhere else, I refuse to serve _you._" She tells me, crossing her arms over her chest in stubbornness.

_Well now…_

I take a deep breath, a silence falling between myself and the woman before I meet her glare, looking her deep in her eyes.

"Well fuck you too!" I shoot at the woman in anger.

Without another word to the ignorant woman running the boutique I walk out of the store in an angry huff. The woman's surprised expression at my vulgarity is burned into my memory, and I can't help but smile at her obvious surprise.

The second attempt ends in similar failure and judging by the expression on the woman who runs the third store I'm sure this attempt will have the same results.

"Get out." She says in a flat tone, not even considering selling me the dress.

"But…" I stammer in response, but the woman's face remains chiseled from stone that's set in an emotionless stare.

I consider shouting for a moment but instead I shake my head and leave quietly.

Once I'm outside I head back toward the Hokage manor, getting halfway there before I release a sigh of frustration at my morning's efforts at attempting to buy a formal dress for my date tonight with my boyfriend.

_That was the third store I tried, and I've gotten the same response at all three stores._

I walk back to the manor with a heavy heart, feeling worse and worse with each step, thinking that I'm going to have to tell Naruto that I'll have to cancel our date tonight.

I make my ay back to the manor in silence. During the entire trip back to the manor I feel like an absolute eel, my thoughts focusing on how Naruto will react when I tell him that I have to cancel our date because I couldn't buy a dress for the dinner tonight. Walking through the double doors to the manor proper I can't help but slump my shoulders as I swing the large doors closed. I slowly and dreadfully walk back to the manor, feeling like I've done the absolute worst thing I could do in the world.

_He was looking so forward to our date tonight, and I really wanted to go to. Now I have to tell him that I can't go, and all because of the ignorant owners of the dress shops in the village refuse to sell me a dress because I have to carry around this demon inside me, as though I had a choice! This thing was sealed inside of me on the day I was born; the day the demon attacked the village. Why can't these people understand that I don't like or want this demon anymore than they do!_

I'm so lost in my own depressing thoughts that I don't even register opening the door to the manor and actually entering. Fortunately some part of me does remember to take my shoes off at the door, but after I do that I don't even bother to speak a word as I walk through the halls. Then, something breaks through my overwhelming depression.

"What's wrong Hina-chan? I thought you went out shopping? What'd you buy?" Kushina asks curiously.

I stop and look toward the source of the noise, seeing Kushina standing in the dining room, sitting on the end of the table closest to me. On the table sits a still steaming cup of tea, and I can only imagine Kushina is taking the holiday off to relax and is enjoying the downtime.

"Uh…" I stammer, quickly looking down to avoid looking into the kind woman's eyes. "I couldn't buy anything; they didn't have anything in my size that I liked." I quickly lie.

I can feel Kushina's eyes on me, and I hear the sound of the feet of the chair sliding against the smooth hardwood floor of the dining room. I look up to see the cup of tea still sitting on the table, forgotten as Kushina stares at me with a penetrating stare, her arms crossed over her chest with an air of doubt around her, all of it telling me that she doesn't believe what I just told her for a second.

"Hina-chan, you and I both know that your dress size is relatively common, so you being unable to find something is nothing but a bold faced lie." She

I sigh, continuing to avoid Kushina's gaze.

"I couldn't buy something because none of the shop owners would sell me anything!" I quickly blurt out, and the emotions come pouring out before I even realize it. "I told them I would pay whatever they wanted, but all of them told me that they wouldn't serve me because of what I am." I finish my explanation with tears in my eyes.

With my explanation finished, Kushina approaches me and she puts her hands on my shoulders reassuringly, her grip soft and compassionate.

"It's okay, you don't have to cry." Kushina assuages me.

The woman holds me close for several minutes, and I can't help but sniffle. For a few minutes I do nothing but sniffle in Kushina's arms, and then I get my emotions under control. Once I'm calm, Kushina steps back, motioning with her left arm toward the front door of the manor.

"Come with me." Kushina says with her voice even, though I can tell from her body language that the statement isn't a request.

I open my mouth to ask, and then decide better for it as Kushina begins to lead me out of the manor. Kushina leads me into the streets, and once we're in the streets we walk next to each other. The people in the streets part for Kushina, the wife of the Hokage. Even with Kushina next to me, the people still scowl at me with anger in their eyes when they think Kushina isn't looking.

_Where is she going to take me? What's her purpose for dragging me out here into the streets like this?_

The woman leads me to one of the three clothing shops I visited earlier.

_No way, I can't get a dress here! The woman told me she wouldn't let me buy a dress or anything from this store, so why did she bring me here?_

"I already tried here Okaa-san!" I protest, standing before the entrance to the shop.

Kushina grabs me by the left wrist, and she pulls me along with comment through the glass doors and into the shop once again. Kushina leads me inside with a no nonsense air about her, and upon seeing Kushina the well dressed woman behind the counter smiles brightly at her. However, upon seeing me, the woman's expression sours, even though I'm being pulled behind by the wife of the Hokage.

"Can I help you honorable wife of the Hokage?" The woman asks, smiling politely at Kushina.

Kushina meets the shop proprietor's eyes, her own gaze cold and emotionless.

"I'm interested in purchasing an evening dress for my friend here." Kushina explains to the shop keeper, motioning to me with her left hand.

I don't say a word, but the woman looks at me and scowls, recognizing my face and my telltale crimson tinted eyes.

"I won't have my clothes touch the skin of a demon." The woman says plainly, looking to Kushina and not even bothering to look toward me.

Anger flashes in Kushina's eyes, the woman balling her hands into a white knuckle fist. The woman grits her teeth, and I can see her teeth grind together behind her closed lips in frustrated anger.

"Why do you think Hinata Hyuga is a demon?" Kushina outright demands from the shop keeper, her tone suggesting that there are much worse things in store for the woman if she doesn't answer.

"That…thing is what the Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed into." The woman retorts. "Why the village council didn't kill it outright once the demon was sealed…" She trails off, seeing Kushina's anger rising in her face and in her body language.

"Hinata's body _contains_ that demon, and by doing so she protects this village, our home and everyone in it, including you!" Kushina retorts, glaring daggers at the woman behind the counter.

If the woman behind the counter sees the logic in Kushina's argument that I'm protecting the village by containing the demon, the woman doesn't show it. In fact, she doesn't even seem to care that the wife of the Hokage stands before her, and the woman is refusing to serve the person closest to the Hokage himself. She merely looks at Kushina with resolve in her eyes.

"As owner of this establishment, I have the right to refuse any customer, regardless of whom they are or who they're with." She says flatly.

Kushina huffs in anger, continuing to glare daggers at the woman for a moment before she reaches out and grasps my hand. Without a word Kushina storms out of the boutique with me in tow. Once we're both outside of the store, Kushina slams the door closed, the glass door impacting the frame hard enough to outright shatter the door on impact.

The voice of the woman from behind the counter wafts through the broken door.

"You'll have to pay for that!" Her voice calls out to Kushina.

"TALK TO THE HOKAGE!" Kushina growls back at her while the two of us walk away from the boutique.

At the brief interchange, people can't help but stare at the both of us. I duck my head in shame, not wanting to be involved in an incident that will no doubt be known throughout the village within the hour.

"Umm…" I mutter in weak protest as Kushina leads me along, and the woman looks back at me, the anger in her gaze replaced by annoyance. "I'm sorry Okaa-san, but it's pointless, no one in the village will sell her anything like what I need."

"Bullshit!" Kushina says simply, a flat out denial of the events that have plagued me since I got up this morning.

Kushina continues to lead me through the village, and I have no idea where she's taking me as she leads me into another shop. This one looks remarkably like the last one. One of the major differences is that this one doesn't have a broken glass front door.

Like the last store, this one also has a woman working behind the counter. The woman working in this store however smiles as Kushina, and I don't remember having been in this store today. The counter and the register are located near the door, the woman behind the counter wearing a light gray western business suit. She has long brown hair tied up into a bun on the top of her head with blue eyes and an average figure. Looking into the store I see the store is filled with metal racks on stands, and the walls are lined with similar metal racks. On the racks are many different kinds of clothes, all of them formal like dress Kimonos and western dresses of every kind imaginable.

_Not that I didn't TRY at the three other stores. I practically told them I'd pay twice what the sticker price on the dress was, and the people wouldn't listen. I guess after practically throwing myself at the other store owners I just saw that it wasn't worth trying to bother and buy a dress at all._

"Can I help you honorable wife of the Hokage?" The woman asks Kushina, keeping her face even.

"I need a dress for my friend, and it's urgent." Kushina says, motioning toward me.

The woman looks toward me, and looks me up and down, sizing me up and I feel dread form in my stomach at the rejection that I _know_ is coming, when…

"What kind of evening wear do you need?" The woman asks, surprising me more than I ever thought I could be surprised.

"It will be a formal dress for formal occasions and dinners."

The woman behind the counter nods, and then walks around from behind the counter, motioning deeper into the store.

"Follow me please."

The woman leads me into the store around and through the sea of racks of clothes. The woman stops at a rack, motioning toward it with both hands.

"These are all in and around your size, Hyuga-san."

"Thank you very much." Kushina says, to my utter surprise.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Nearly an hour later, I stand with a dress bag draped over my arms. The hanger at the top of the bag rests nearly a foot from the floor, and I hold the black bag pressed to my chest, wanting very much not to let the formal dress go. I stand in front of the counter in the boutique while Kushina stands slightly in front of me on my left, finishing up the transaction and paying for the dress I now hold close to my bosom. Both Kushina and I managed to find a dress that I like and Kushina approved of, which wasn't hard.

_Though it would've been nice to buy something really revealing and show Naruto just how much I've grown since I've left the village. I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing me in a little black dress with plenty of cleavage and a short skirt. Then again, if Kushina were to see me wearing that when I'm going on a date with Naruto, she'd probably flip her wig._

Kushina finishes paying for the dress, and I can't help but smile as I hold the garment close to my chest. When I was younger I always had formal clothes for clan meetings and affairs and the like, but I never had anything remotely like the dress I now hold.

"Come back again if you need any alterations or anything else, okay?" The woman behind the counter, who I learned is named Mariko, says.

"Thank you." I thank the woman, nodding toward her, and she only smiles at me.

"Thank you very much shop owner." Kushina says. "I'll be sure to give my good opinion to everyone I know who is in need of a new formal attire."

Mariko nods her understanding, smiling happily at Kushina.

"I appreciate that, honorable wife." Mariko thanks her.

With that, both Kushina and I leave the nice woman's shop and go into the streets of Konoha once more. The two of us walk back toward the Hokage manor, and the entire time I hold the dress close my chest, the bagged dress hanging on my arms. I can't help but smile as I walk back to the manor with Kushina, a single thought consuming much of my mind during the short walk.

_I wonder how Naruto will react when he sees me wearing this. He's never seen me wear anything like this before, only my mission gear and the traditional Hyuga family robes the one time he and Shino came over for dinner and met grandmother. _

Surprisingly, thinking of my grandmother doesn't sadden me as it did in the past. As much as I miss her, and I hate seeing the clan in hands of my uncle, the main family lineage she cared so much about is alive and well, and if I have anything to say about it, it will continue to live on for a long time.

"I told you I'd get you a dress for the dinner with Naru-chan tonight." Kushina says with a grin, and I nod appreciatively.

"Thank you, Okaa-san." I thank her for the third time.

Kushina smiles back at me.

"I'm glad Naru-chan found someone, and that someone is devoted to him." She explains to me.

"Naruto has always been kind and caring, and I know that he cares about me in a way that other people don't."

"I'm just happy the two of you found each other." Kushina reiterates, and I can't help but nod.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Several hours later, after a long and thorough shower, I stand in front of a full body mirror in my bedroom at the Hokage manor. I wear the black evening dress I bought earlier; the dress is sleeveless, held on by a pair of straps over my shoulders, revealing my back and ample cleavage, but not enough to make me look like an amorous woman. The dress is all black and smooth, lacking any sort of decoration.

_Simple, but still elegant, I could go without these shoes though._

The dress was part of an ensemble that was packaged together, a dress, matching shoes and a small handbag. The shoes have three inch heels on them, and they're hardly comfortable.

_Not that they're made for comfort. You hardly ever wear anything like this and Naruto was really looking forward to this dinner tonight so don't disappoint him._

I run my hands down the front and back of the dress for the third time since I put it on fifteen minutes ago, smoothing the fabric against my skin. Fortunately I think I look really good, and Kushina was here to watch me put it on, in case I needed help getting into it or making everything look right without any unmentionables showing through the fabric of the dress.

_And once I got it on and got it right she said I look really good, and told me that Naruto will love to see me in it. In spite of that, even after she left to do something I'm still standing here smoothing the dress._

"Well, I guess it won't get any better than this." I say to myself as I look myself over in the mirror one more time.

I turn around, looking over my shoulder to visually inspect my back as much as I can before I nod to myself and move away from the mirror. I walk to the foot of my bed and grasp the small handbag there. The accessory has only some essentials in it, and I don't wear any ninja gear for the date tonight.

_Though I could probably hide a kunai pouch on one of my legs beneath the dress, I don't want Naruto to see it and think I'm some kind of paranoid person that can't have a nice dinner out without bringing weapons._

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I mutter to myself, still holding the handbag.

With that I walk to the door to the hall and open it, carefully stepping out into the hall. I walk slowly from my bedroom to the dining room, taking my time and focusing on walking in the shoes that seem to be made for anything but. Fortunately I had some time to practice walking before I took my shower, so it isn't as though I haven't done it, but I doubt I'm at the same level as Kushina who can probably run a marathon in heels and not falter once.

_Not that her feet wouldn't be killing her afterward._

I turn the corner and walk through the open double doorway that leads into the dining room of the Hokage manor. I see both Minato and Kushina in the kitchen, working to prepare their meal for the evening while Naruto stands near the table in a black suit, his hands in his pockets. He nervously fidgets his hands in his pockets, the motions of his fingers beneath the fabric completely obvious.

His suit is a three piece; a jacket, shirt and pants. He wears a black belt and even a dark blue tie around his neck. He wears matching dress shoes, and his jacket is unbuttoned as he stands there, waiting for me.

Upon seeing me he stops fidgeting, and his eyes go wide as he looks at me in the evening dress. Part of me cheers ecstatically as he gapes at me, but a much more dominant part forces me to look myself up and down, in spite of my thorough check before I left my room.

With his eyes on me I cross my arms over my chest in embarrassment, pushing my legs together I half turn away from him in embarrassment.

_Maybe he sees something I can't, but what?_

"Is there something wrong Naru-kun?" I timidly ask.

My words snap him out of his gaping stare, and it's then that I see both Minato and Kushina watching casually, observing the drama as it plays out in front of them, but I don't focus on them, knowing I'd only start something I don't want to if I drag the two of them into this.

_I already feel embarrassed having him stare at me like that, if the two of them get into this and start saying embarrassing things about how pretty I am I'd die._

"Nothing's wrong Hina-hime." He informs me, shaking his head. "I was just a little surprised and a little stunned…" He trails off.

_Well, that doesn't tell me if he thinks it looks good or not._

"Does it suit me?" I quietly ask, not knowing if my voice could get any lower and still make noise.

He smiles, nodding as he talks.

"Yes, it does, you look very beautiful." He compliments me.

In the corner of my eye I see both Minato and Kushina nod wordlessly, agreeing with their son's assessment of my appearance.

"Thank you." I respond, smiling at him.

He blushes in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head.

"We should get going." He quickly says, changing the subject. "Our reservation is soon."

I half turn, still standing near the archway back into the hall.

"Lead the way, Naru-kun." I say, waiting for him to walk by.

He starts walking and in three steps he's next to me. Once he's next to me I loop both of my arms around his and start walking next to him, the two of us looking like a couple as we walk toward the front door of the Hokage manor. To Naruto's credit, he only looks surprised for a half second before he blushes and looks away in embarrassment.

_He can probably see down the dress like this, and that's why he's blushing, but I don't mind, so long as it's him._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I only held onto Naruto like that until the two of us leave the manor proper, then I began to just hold his hand, and Naruto seems to appreciate it, as his cheeks return to their normal color and he doesn't look nearly as embarrassed as he did when I clung to his arm.

_I don't want to look like one of those clingy girls that hangs all over the person they're attracted to like a dog marking its territory. _

The two of us walk like that toward our destination; a restaurant named Sarutobi's, named after the Third Hokage and owned by his family. During the short walk to the restaurant, people look at Naruto and I, and for once in my life I don't care as they look at me like I'm some kind of whore. Naruto on the other hand looks embarrassed, even though I'm not hanging onto him like I was in the manor. Once we arrive at the restaurant, the atmosphere is completely changed, the establishment maintaining an air of dignity and respect about it that you hardly find in many places these days.

The restaurant is relatively low lit, but there's plenty of light to see by. Tables are arranged throughout the dining room, with plush booths lining the walls. Gentle orange light comes from overhead chandeliers made of glass or crystal with light bulbs in them that hang from the ten foot high ceiling. The floor is a plush carpet, and in the far corner of the dining room rests a black baby grand piano, the pianist sitting at it is a middle aged man wearing a suit similar to Naruto's. He plays a gentle, relaxing tune that wafts throughout the dining room, the music a nice compliment to and yet somehow adding to the atmosphere of the restaurant.

Once we're inside I find the two of us in a small greeting area with a podium and a bench with people in formal attire sitting at it. There's a low murmur of conversation between the different parties in the waiting area and in the dining room beyond, and the blonde hostess who stands behind the podium instantly recognizes Naruto.

"Ah, Namikaze-sama!" The woman says in greeting, grabbing two menus and walking around the podium.

She wears a pair of dark slacks and a white button up shirt with a high collar. She wears dress shoes on her feet, and a belt through the loops on the pants. At her collar she has a black bow tie, her long blonde hair tied back at the nape of her neck with a tie. She has blue eyes and has a good figure, an ideal person for greeting people coming into a restaurant.

She motions for the two of us to follow her into the dining room.

"You are just on time Namikaze-sama, your table is this way." The hostess says.

"Thank you." Naruto says, and I just smile happily and nod at the woman.

Holding Naruto's hand, I follow him and the hostess into the dining room. We walk past several tables with people sitting at them, the 'upper crust' of Konoha so concerned about their own business that they hardly notice the son of the Hokage as he walks by, much less the girl he's bringing with her.

_That or the low light makes it hard for them to see the red tint to my eyes._

Either way I'm grateful that the short walk to the table is uneventful, and the hostess seats the two of us at a booth along the wall farthest from the large opening that serves as an entrance into the dining room. Looking around as the hostess sets out our utensils and glasses, I recognize many of the faces sitting in the restaurant from my younger years before I left the village when Hibana was still alive.

_Back when I went to meetings and parties with nobility from within the village. Now though I doubt these people would recognize me without getting a good look at my forehead or my eyes, it's been so long. _

"Your server will be right out." The hostess says, walking away and leaving Naruto and I to ourselves with the menus.

Naruto watches her walk until she's halfway to the reception area and then looks at me with sudden apprehension in his eyes. He sits with his hands on the table, his elbows just hanging off the darkly stained wooden table.

"What's wrong Naru-kun?" I ask, keeping my voice down.

"I've never been on a date before, much less to a ritzy place like this."

I reach across the table and put my hands on top of his, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"I haven't either; I just want you to have a good time and not worry about faux paus or anything like that." I explain to him.

He breathes a sigh of relief, his posture relaxing noticeably and much of the apprehension disappearing from his eyes.

It's then that the waitress chooses to show up, and I quickly pull my hands from his when she approaches the table, greeting the both of us. She wears a uniform similar to the one worn by the hostess, except the server wears an apron like accessory at her belt with pockets on it designed to hold a note pad and pens and everything else a server needs to carry around with her.

"Hello and welcoming to Sarutobi's, my name is Yukari and I'll be your server tonight, what would you young people like to drink?'

"Some water please." I order.

"Herbal tea please." Naruto says.

The server writes both of our orders down, looking back up a moment after we speak.

"Do you both know what you'd like to eat, or would you like a little time?" She asks.

"We haven't even had the chance to look at the menus yet." Naruto admits, and the waitress just smiles in understanding.

"All right, well I'll be back in a bit, so take your time." She says, bowing lightly before she turns and walks away, leaving the two of us alone again.

_Damn, that was fast._

For a few moments Naruto and I are silent, and then he opens his mouth to speak.

"So, what do you think so far?" He asks.

"It's an elegant restaurant." I respond.

Opening the menu, I glance over the various dishes offered.

"The menu is quite varied." I say.

Naruto nods, picking up his own menu.

"Okaa-san recommended this place." Naruto says, looking over the menu.

I look to my left of the menu, seeing his head concealed by his own menu.

"You asked your mom for dating advice?" I ask casually, keeping my tone light.

"Yeah, I've never done anything like this before, and I wanted to know as much as I could before I go and do something wrong."

I smile at him, even though he can't see it.

"I'm just glad that you wanted to spend time alone with me."

For a moment he's silent, and I can almost hear the gears turning in his head.

"Why wouldn't I want to spend time alone with you, Hina-hime?" He asks; dumbstruck as to why he wouldn't want to spend time with me.

"Well, we've spent a lot of time together recently, and I thought you might get bored being around me all the time."

His menu drops toward me and I can see confusion on his face, and I lower my own menu as well.

"Why would you think like that?" He asks, still absolutely puzzled.

I shrug my shoulders, looking down to the menu to avoid looking into his eyes, feeling embarrassed again.

"I've always been treated negatively, so I tend to always expect the worst from people, though I know that you'd never do anything to intentionally hurt me Naru-kun."

"Have I ever done anything bad to you, to try and hurt you?" He asks, and I shake my head no defensively.

"No, and I'm incredibly happy about that." I tell him.

It's then that the waitress approaches the table again. This time she holds a glass in each hand.

"Here you go." She says, putting my water in front of me and Naruto's tea in front of him. "Have you both decided on what you'd like to eat?"

Both Naruto and I order, the server taking the orders with absolute seriousness. Then once we finish placing our orders she kindly takes the menus from us, informing us that she'll put our orders in and the food will be ready soon. With the waitress gone, my temporary reprieve from Naruto's questioning is at its end.

"Do you intentionally think that everyone is out to hurt you?" Naruto asks, and I shake my head no.

"I don't mean to." I offer in response. "It's just that most people despise me for being a Jinchuriki, and they want to try and harm me to get back at the Kyuubi."

"I've never wanted to hurt you, and I've never once thought I'd like to take revenge on the demon."

"I wish everyone in the village could be like you Naru-kun."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The two of us are at the restaurant for nearly an hour, the server brings our food and leaves, allowing us plenty of time to eat and talk amongst ourselves. However, once we've finished eating, an older woman in formal robes approaches our table, her eyes locked on Naruto like a hawk watching its prey, and I realize that she doesn't even see me.

"Ah, Honorable Son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto Namikaze." The woman says in greeting.

Naruto straightens in response to hearing his full name and long honorific, and I know that part of him hates being referred to like that. He turns toward her, smiling politely, and I do my best to make myself as small and invisible as possible even though I sit right across from him in the booth.

"It's rare to see you out and about, you're usually so busy with shinobi duties." She says, failing to identify herself, or what business she has interrupting two other people who weren't doing anything to her. "I am rather glad to see you visit this establishment, you will of course speak to Hokage-sama and tell him how excellent the food and service here is."

_Ah, there it is; the single point of her striding all the way over here and interrupting our dinner together._

"I am Chie Misato, and I am part owner of this establishment." She finally says, introducing herself.

_I guess she must be one of the third's daughters who married and took on another family name._

"Ah, I've heard of the Misato family." Naruto says, and the woman nods.

"We are one of the most well off families in the village, and we've always supported the Hokage, especially during times of crisis, like the time that despicable demon attacked sixteen years ago."

At the mention of the demon, which can only be the Kyuubi I try and make myself smaller, flinching at the mention of the monster. Naruto sees this, and his eyes flicker at Chie's remark from her to me. The woman however ignores the movement of his eyes and me completely as she continues speaking.

"Everyone was so devastated during the attack that those who had anything were compelled to assist those who suffered worse." She continues. "The people of the village were so angry when word spread about what happened to Kyuubi, why it suddenly disappeared. The elders who were left wanted to the Hyuga brat the demon was sealed into killed outright."

At that, Naruto has had enough. He stands up and _punches_ the woman, knocking her flat on her back. From the low smack of his knuckles meeting her arrogant face I can tell that Naruto didn't hit her hard, that he held back the majority of his strength to avoid crushing her skull in on her brain. Chie lands on her back and pushes herself up, getting to her feet she glares in outrage at Naruto.

"What do you think you are doing?" Chie demands from him.

Naruto points to me with his right arm, his left arm shaking in anger.

"Hinata Hyuga is _right_ there." He points out to her. "I'm not going to stand idly by while some old broad who doesn't know a damn thing about what she's talking about disrespects her!"

The older woman's eyes flash to me, and I can see I've been recognized. Disdain fills her eyes, such a stark contrast to the expression she showed Naruto only a minute ago. The woman crosses her arms over her chest, looking away as though she's too good to even look at me.

"I had no idea the Honorable Son of our Hokage would dirty himself by slumming around with such filth." She says in disgust.

Naruto pulls his left hand back to slug her again, his teeth gritted in anger. I stand up and reach for his arm, touching it and pushing it down. Naruto looks to me and the anger evaporates from his eyes like water before an inferno.

"I don't want any trouble over me, Naru-kun." I explain to him.

Then, a dark haired man with a mustache and dressed in a uniform similar to the one worn by the hostess approaches us. He exudes an aura of authority, and I can tell that he must be the manger or someone of importance within the establishment, though I don't recognize him.

"What's going on here?" He asks with outrage apparent in his voice.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

After a short discussion, Naruto and I leave Sarutobi's of our own free will. The manager apologized after getting the facts straight, and offered to make our meal gratis, but I insisted Naruto pay, so there's no way the establishment can say he owes them a favor later, and to help put the incident behind us as quickly as possible.

We walk in silence for nearly fifteen minutes before Naruto speaks, when we're well out of earshot of the patrons of the restaurant.

"I'll never go there again, and I am going to talk to dad about what happened, and I doubt he'll ever set foot in there again either." He says in an absolute tone, as though nothing could change his mind.

"You shouldn't be so harsh, it isn't the managers fault that woman was an ignorant bitch."

Naruto manages a genuine happy smile.

"I'm just glad that you're not depressed about the whole thing."

I shrug my shoulders.

"It's beyond my control to do anything about it." I admit to him. "All I can do is enjoy life with the people I care about. My happiness is the best revenge I can think of."

Naruto lets out an amused laugh.

"That's a great attitude to have Hina-hime." He says, smiling.

I look at up him with a grin on my face.

"Well it was one of Jiraiya-sensei's only life lessons that I've been trying to take to heart." I say.

"He isn't that bad is he?" Naruto asks in a casual tone.

"No I guess not. Once you get past the fact that he's a lecherous pervert in his fifties he's not so bad."

Naruto gives me a pointed look and I look up at him with a questioning gaze.

"What is it?" I ask.

He hesitates for a moment before speaking.

"It's a really personal question, I don't know if I should ask it." He says shyly.

"You can ask me anything. I don't mind." I reply.

He lets out a small sigh before speaking.

"Earlier, you told me that ero-sennin told you all about doing…perverted things. Did he actually touch you and have you do things to him?" He asks with his tone deadly serious.

I don't know what to think about that question, other than revulsion at the thought of me ever touching anything remotely private on the fifty year old man's body.

"No Naruto." I assuage him, putting my hand on his arm. "I would never do anything like that." I tell him earnestly, and relief flashes through him.

"Phew. I thought so but it had been eating at me for a while now. Sorry for being paranoid." He says sincerely.

"It's alright Naruto. I'm just glad to know you care." I say.

Naruto smiles at me and grabs my hand. Fingers intertwined the rest of the way home is silent.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The two of us enter the Hokage manor nearly fifteen minutes later, and the house is unusually quiet. The two of us walk to the kitchen and we find a note on the counter from both Minato and Kushina. The note says that something came up, and both of them will have to be working late tonight, and they both hope our date went well.

Naruto sets the note down, looking at me with his jacket off, holding it over his left arm.

"We've got the house to ourselves." He says.

"I'd like to get changed." I mutter, looking down at my feet, which have never been in high heels for any length of time.

"Yeah, me too." Naruto agrees.

The two of us walk to our respective rooms, and once I'm inside my bedroom I turn the light on and then proceed to disrobe. I carefully remove the dress, hanging it properly on the hanger for when I'll have to take it for dry cleaning. Once I take the dress off I take off all of my normal clothes and get into my pajamas.

Just as I am pulling the pajama top over my chest I hear footsteps outside my door that I quickly recognize as Naruto's, a moment later his voice comes through the door.

"I'm going to go downstairs and watch some TV." He says.

"All right, I'll be there in a second." I respond through the door.

"Okay." He says through the door.

His footsteps walk away and fade as he walks away from my bedroom door. I move in front of the full body mirror and look at myself in the mirror, running a hand through my hair.

"Now is the perfect chance if he wants to take our relationship further." I mutter, feeling my heart start to speed up

I nod to myself, still feeling my heart beating so fast in my chest at the prospect of finally making love to the man I love. I leave my room and walk toward the living room, trying to force myself to calm down, that he might not want to do that yet, but I can't get my heart to slow as I walk into the living room and see him sitting on the sofa, remote in hand. He seems to stare blankly at the screen, and for the life of me I can't tell what's on the screen as I sit down next to him, my mind spinning as I try to think of a way to let him know I'm ready if he is.

_Jiraiya said once that nothing can set a guy off like a girl sucking on something or a really deep kiss. Since I really would rather not suck on something like that in front of him to try and goad him, I'll go for the latter. _

"Naruto…" I trail off, saying his name to get him to turn his head toward me.

He turns his head toward me, and before he can say the W in 'what' I move closer to him and bring my lips to his. I put as much passion into the kiss as I can, using my tongue and twirling it around his and allowing his tongue to intertwine with mine in my own mouth. For a full minute we kiss, and when I pull back a thin stream of saliva connects us for a moment before it breaks and falls, the both of us not caring about it in the least. His face is flushed, nearly beat red, and I try to keep my expression as alluring as possible.

"I'm ready, if you are." I tell him, my tone saying much more than the two words will ever say.

His face lights up with recognition passing behind his eyes.

"You mean 'that'?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yes…" I respond, running my hand gently up and down his chest. "Shall we go?" I ask, standing up, taking his right hand in mine.

I smile as he stands up, and I lead us both upstairs to my bedroom. We go into the bedroom and once inside I turn around and kiss him again, my hands traveling up and down his back, and I put my waist against his. After nearly thirty seconds, we break the kiss and he looks me in the eyes with a concerned expression.

"Hinata, before we go any farther, I want to ask you one thing." He says, still holding me in his arms, and I hold him in mine.

I give him a confused expression, backing down, though I'm still very much aroused and ready.

"What is it Naru-kun?" I ask, and I can see something is troubling him.

I start to pull away when he speaks, and I stop myself before I do anything.

"This is a big step and I guess I just want to make sure you're really ready." He says.

I smile, Naruto's words causing even more warmth to fill me and I automatically look down to hide my red face.

"I'm ready. I've thought a lot about this and I'm sure I want to do it." I pause. "Yes, I'm ready." I say looking back up into eyes.

"Thank you, Hinata, I love you…" Are his last words coherent words before we lie down together.

"I love you too, Naru-kun." Is my only response.

We look into each others eyes for a moment before sharing a deep, passionate kiss. And then, it begins.


	29. Chapter 29

(Well, here's Chapter 29. I'm probably gonna go back to Chapter 1 and put a disclaimer on it so I stop getting the annoying 'This is just a rip of Team 8' reviews from people just finding this story. Other than that, I got into Infamous for the PS3, and it's a fun sand box game. My beta thought that Kushina's reaction in this chapter was a little overboard, but her personality is supposed to be tomboyish, and even though she's had a multitude of years of change, some parts of people never change, especially when they get angry. Anyway, enjoy the chap, leave some comments if you feel inclined.)

Chapter 29: Rainy Days

Nearly an hour later Naruto and I lie next to each other on his bed, the blankets pulled up to my neck while Naruto has them only to his waist. Both of us are breathing heavily, and I feel more than a little winded. Naruto lies on his back, while I lie on my right side on Naruto's left. I lie on his arm, and have my left arm on his chest, poking out from beneath the blanket.

"Was it good?" I gingerly ask, while Naruto looks up at the ceiling, his bare chest barely moving up and down slowly.

"Yeah…" He says with a slow nod, swallowing the saliva in his mouth. "I never thought it would feel so good." He explains, and then he turns his head toward me. "What about you Hina-hime?"

"At first it was strange, but it started to feel really good really fast." I explain to him.

He sighs, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'd like to stay like this for a bit." He says, and I smile at him.

"I'd like nothing more." I begin. "But it's been three times already, and if Okaa-san saw us like this she'd flip her lid."

"Okaa-san? So Okaa-san's got you calling her that now too huh?" Naruto asks.

I nod happily, smiling at him.

"Yeah, she wanted me to start calling her that. I guess she looks at me like I'm her daughter that she never had." I explain to him.

"Or a future daughter-in-law…" He comments, and for a second I completely freeze.

_Is that a marriage proposal? I mean I'd love to get married to him and settle down, but we're both still only teenagers, and there's so much going on with Akatsuki and Orochimaru and everything else, I don't want to get married to him and then have either of us die. It'd be better if we got married after things calm down, though we both may not survive what's to come._

I close my eyes and force myself to stop thinking along that train of thought. I know that death is always a part of a shinobi's life, whether delivering it or receiving it…

"You're right though." He agrees, and then leans in and kisses me gently on the lips, giving me a sly smile. "Much as I hate to admit it."

I get up, throwing the blanket off and looking around the nearly pitch black bedroom. Thanks to my better than normal vision, I'm able to locate my discarded pajamas along with a towel I grabbed from Naruto's bathroom pre-coitus. I get out of the bed and go for the towel, grabbing it up I towel off, removing the light perspiration that covers my body along with any other bodily fluids.

I dress with my back to him, and the entire time, Naruto looks at me as I bend down and grasp the pajama pants and slip them on, and when I reach down for the top I can't help but voice my curiosity.

"What?" I ask over my shoulder, all the while blushing heavily even though less than an hour ago my naked form was bouncing before him in plain view.

I manage to pull the top on before Naruto can voice his response.

"I just never thought I'd get to be with such a sexy girl my first time."

I feel myself blush deeper at the praise, and I turn around and move to the foot of the bed. I get on my hands and knees at the edge of the bed and crawl to him, stopping when my face is less than six inches from his.

"You need to stop talking, or I just might have to do it again." I smile, blushing heavily.

Naruto's eyes brighten, his hands coming up from the bed, ready to grasp my chest when…

"_Hello!_" Kushina's voice comes through the closed door. "Naruto, Hinata, are you both still awake?" Kushina calls from the bottom floor of the manor.

I look to Naruto, and I see realization flash through his eyes, his face contorting in surprise, an expression I can only imagine I wear as well.

_I need to keep her from finding him naked, he needs time to dress, and I have to stall her!_

"I'll go stall her." I quickly say, practically flying from the bed to the door.

"Got it." Naruto says simply and then I'm through the door.

I bolt from Naruto's bedroom door toward the stairs, and when I near the top of the stairs I force myself to slow down.

_Have to slow down, keep my breathing normal and look natural. Kushina is an ANBU level shinobi, if she detects even a hint of something wrong, then she'll pounce like a lion and not stop until she chews both Naruto and me up and then spits us out._

Rounding the top of the stairs I start down the stairs and I find Kushina walking toward the stairs, coming to them just as I hit the bottom of the steps.

"You look well Hinata." Kushina says in greeting, wearing a maroon sleeveless blouse and a light green dress with a white belt and blue open toed shoes.

"As do you, Okaa-san." I greet her, bowing lightly and remembering to call her Okaa-san.

She stands with her hands on her hips, and she looks me over, her eyes going up and down my body.

"You look a little red Hina-chan, are you coming down with a cold?" Kushina asks, and I quickly shake my head no.

Suspicion flares in Kushina's eyes, and her face contorts to reflect the emotion.

"Where is Naruto?" She asks, suspicion filling her tone.

"He's in his room, or the bathroom, I don't know which." I quickly respond, and Kushina pushes past me, going up the steps with the beginnings of anger in her stride, her footsteps nearly stomps against the wood stairs.

"Uh-huh." Kushina practically growls as she makes her way up the steps.

_I can't force her back, or I may as well sign a confession that Naruto and I just made love._

Instead of holding Kushina back I follow the red haired woman up the steps. Kushina turns at the top of the steps and heads straight for Naruto's room, and I'm only a step and half behind her, silently praying that Naruto managed to get dressed or somehow conceal the evidence of the act.

_Come on Naru-kun! Don't be lying on your bed naked with a bulge._

Naruto's bedroom door is closed, and Kushina stops at it. She reaches for the handle, jiggling the handle she finds it locked. She then glances toward me, accusation in her eyes but she doesn't say anything. She glares at the handle and then pulls, and I don't need the Byakugan to see her putting chakra into her strength, her muscles flexing lightly and the handle comes free from the door frame with a crack, the wood from the door and the frame splintering from the forceful rip. Kushina throws the brass door handle aside, the handle hitting the carpeted floor with a thud. She pushes the door open, and I glance inside to see Naruto's bedroom door empty and dark, the only light in the room coming from under the bathroom door, a small slit of light indicating someone is using the facilities. Kushina immediately spots the light and marches to the bathroom door, and I follow her, my footsteps significantly lighter than hers. She stops at the bathroom door, slamming her fist on the door, not hard enough to break it but enough to show that she's _very _displeased.

"Naruto, open this door, _now!_" Kushina demands from her son.

"Um, in a second Okaa-san." Naruto says through the door.

"_Now_ Naruto." Kushina says with force.

It's silent a moment, and then I hear what sounds like someone bunny-hopping behind the door. The door then opens partially, revealing Naruto's face to both Kushina and I, the boy holding the door with his right hand, a flustered look on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asks, and Kushina glares daggers at him.

"What were you doing?" Kushina asks with a suspicious tone to her voice.

"Um, taking a crap? I haven't even wiped yet."

He opens the door a little, revealing his pants around his ankles. Kushina blushes deeply at seeing her teenaged son naked, and both she and I spin around. I intentionally keep my eyes low so as to not give Kushina anything to be suspicious of.

"Finish up then." She says with her back to the door. "Hinata and I will be in the living room, I expect you there when you're finished, understand?"

"I got it." Naruto assents, and then the door closes, the bolt going into the frame with a smooth click.

"Follow me." Kushina says in a no-nonsense tone of voice that tells me it would be wisest for me not to argue.

I just nod, treating the situation like I've been captured by enemy shinobi and I'm undergoing interrogation.

_Don't admit or deny anything until you know the full extent of the enemy's knowledge._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ten minutes later Naruto and I stand in the living room of the Hokage manor. Both Naruto and I stand ramrod straight, our training at the academy more than enough to teach us how to act when we're under suspicion by another party. Kushina stands in front of us, between us and the big screen TV that dominates one wall of the living area. She stands with her arms crossed over her chests, her eyes darting between Naruto and me.

"While I don't have any proof that you're doing anything." Kushina begins. "I _believe_ both of you to be doing things beyond going on dates and holding hands." She continues. "I just want to remind both of you that the last thing you need right now is a child, so I want the both of you to make sure you're being safe."

I nod my agreement.

"I don't plan on getting pregnant." I offer to her.

"I don't want a baby either." Naruto agrees as well.

Kushina breathes a heavy sigh.

"If you two are going to do things like that, at least have the respect not to do it while Mini-kun and I are home."

Both Naruto and I quickly nod our agreement.

"You don't have anything to worry about Okaa-san, because Naru-kun and I weren't doing anything." I assuage her.

Kushina shakes her head slowly, tiredly.

"Both of you, get to bed, it's late and the holiday is over tomorrow, it'll be back to business as usual."

Both Naruto and I quickly nod our agreements and do our best not to fly from the living room. We both make our way up the steps and toward our bedrooms.

"Good night, Naru-kun." I say to him.

"Good night, Hina-chan." Naruto says back to me.

After a quick kiss the two of us go into our respective rooms and I close the door behind me. Once I'm in my room I walk to my own bed and crawl into it, bringing the blankets up to my chest. For a moment I look up at the ceiling, feeling myself smile as I reflect on everything that's happened this day.

_I wonder what tomorrow will bring._

I pull the blankets up to my neck and roll onto my right side. Closing my eyes, I slip off to sleep with a smile on my face.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

The insistent noise of my alarm pulls me from my slumber, and I open my eyes. Sitting up in my bed I yawn tiredly and stretch my arms, knowing inside that it's still 6:30 in the morning. Getting out of bed I go into my bedroom's connected bathroom and I shower, dry off and get dressed for the day. I put on the clothes I wore when I came back to the village after my four years of training with the Sannin.

Once I'm dressed I go downstairs and head for the kitchen. On my way down I notice that Minato has already left for the morning. Kushina is in the kitchen, and shortly after I get into the kitchen Naruto comes down the stairs. Together the three of us eat breakfast, and once the meal is complete we assist Kushina in cleaning up the mess and then Naruto and I leave the Hokage manor and make our way to the tower.

When Naruto and I are about to leave the manor, I go into my backpack and withdraw the hooded cloak I like to wear out in public. Upon seeing it, Naruto immediately scowls in disgust.

"Must you wear that thing?" He asks. "You didn't wear it yesterday when you went out, and the day before when we came back from the tower."

I nod solemnly.

"I didn't think about it then, but I'm thinking about it now."

Naruto shrugs his shoulders, sighing heavily and slouches before he slips his hands into his pockets, waiting while I slip the cloak on and pull the hood up.

_I can't really blame him for not wanting me to wear this. He likes to see me walk around and proudly display who I am, but I really don't want to risk dealing with the glares of the people of the village all over again like it was before I left. _

Once I have the cloak in place, I motion for Naruto to exit the manor and he does, and I follow him quickly a step behind him. The two of us walk together toward the tower, and on the walk toward the tower we meet up with Shino, and then Sasuke.

Our meeting with Shino is nothing more than ordinary, both Naruto and I greet him with a nod of our heads, and the stoic Aburame merely returns the nod before falling into step with us. Our meeting with Sasuke, on the other hand is anything but normal. At first, when Sasuke spots the three of us, his eyes lock on me, and the mantle I wear.

_Oh no._

In spite of the mantle, I can feel his eyes go up and down me, as though he was undressing me in his mind, imaging what I look like naked.

_At least Naruto doesn't have to imagine anymore. I wonder how angry Uchiha-teme would be if I told him Naruto and I are doing it now. If I didn't think he'd flip out and try to kill Naruto, I'd suggest that we actually tell him, but it'll be the best if we keep that our secret._

As Sasuke watches the three of us approach, his eyes remain fixed on me, ogling me like a young teen swooning over a movie star. Though once we actually meet with Sasuke, he drops the ogling and starts walking with the four of us.

Once the four of us enter the tower, Sasuke 'leads' the three of us through the tower and to the mission room where shinobi teams are given their missions. Going in through the door, I see that Minato sits in the middle of the long table, shinobi sitting on both sides of the Hokage.

As the four of us enter into the mission room, Minato smiles upon seeing us.

"So, you four have arrived." He says in greeting, and I pull the hood down as the four of us stop before the long table.

_I still haven't said anything to Minato about Itachi's eyes that are still in my backpack. Hell, I was supposed to give them to Sasuke, and I haven't even done that either._

"Hokage-dono, I've brought _my team_ as requested." Sasuke confidently declares.

I can't miss Sasuke's obvious emphasis on the words 'my team.' Naruto flinches at Sasuke's presumption that we're his, and Shino shifts uncomfortably. I momentarily scowl at Sasuke's statement, and then I bring my facial features back to calm neutrality. Minato stays quiet a moment, and then clears his throat.

"I have a high profile mission for the three of you." He begins with his tone very serious. "There is a dignitary in our village from the Land of Rain; he came here to discuss a peace agreement between our nations." Minato explains. "We've since come to a peace agreement, and the dignitary requires an escort back to his village."

Shino quirks an eyebrow in questioning.

"Hokage-sama, that is highly irregular." Shino points out. "Normally a dignitary as important as this individual must be would warrant a shinobi escort from his village that would stay in guest lodgings within the village during the duration of the conference."

_He's right. Whenever high profile individuals came to the village when I was younger they always seem to have bodyguards flocking around them. It's actually really weird that someone would need an escort back to their village, much less come to another village without an escort?_

"That would normally be true, however the Land of Rain is a small nation, and until recently has been under a great deal of strife and civil war. They just don't have the shinobi to be able to afford to take on the missions that run their economy and protect the dignitary they've sent, so as part of the agreement our shinobi brought the dignitary here and are to escort him back to the village."

"Is our only mission objective to escort the dignitary?" Sasuke asks with a no nonsense tone of voice.

"Your objectives are two fold." Minato begins. "The first is to escort the dignitary, the second objective for this mission is to examine everything you see, because all the information we have points to the Land of Rain being the headquarters of the Akatsuki."

"I must inquire as to the logic in sending Hinata on this mission." Shino speaks up again, his hands still the pockets of his jacket.

_He's questioning the logic in sending me on this mission? Is it because I'm the Jinchuriki and he doesn't understand why Minato would send me right into the proverbial lion's den?_

"I'm well aware that Akatsuki is searching for Hinata and other Jinchuriki, Aburame-san." Minato says, referring to Shino by his last name. "However, I believe the last place Akatsuki would search for one of their targets is in their homeland."

Shino doesn't say anything, though from his uneasy posture I can tell that his resignations about me going on this mission are anything but quelled.

_They're always worrying about me. Every time we go on a dangerous mission or deal with Akatsuki, both Naruto and Shino always worry that I'll end up getting kidnapped or caught during the mission. I think that deep down, they worry that one of them will be taken as a hostage in order to force me to agree to come along without protest._

"Regardless of the objectives, whatever our mission, my team will succeed." He affirms for the Hokage, and Naruto nearly busts his lip open as he bites it to stop himself from saying something.

Minato's face hardens, becoming iron hard.

"It may come down to you deciding to sacrifice one of your charges." Minato warns Sasuke. "If it comes to that, you should make their sacrifices count."

_Not that I would really give a flying rat's ass if Sasuke decided to sacrifice himself._

The thought is so odd, so out of place that my mind literally stops in its tracks.

_Where did that thought come from?_

"The four of you should return here in one hour, with exactly two weeks worth of provisions." Minato explains to us all.

We all snap to precision military attention.

"Understood, Hokage-sama." We all say in unison.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Nearly an hour later, Naruto, Shino and I have packed our things, rendezvoused and started back to the tower together. We each wear hiking backpacks with tents and provisions in our packs, all stuffed to the brim.

As we near the tower, Sasuke stands waiting for us, and he too wears a pack on his back. He wears his seemingly usual expression of impatient arrogance, as though he just wants to get on with things, regardless of the outcome.

Without a word, Sasuke slips ahead of our group and walks a few paces in front of Naruto, Shino and me. The four of us make our way to the tower, the midday foot traffic relatively light considering everything that's going on.

We manage to get into the tower without an incident, and once we're inside the tower the trip to the mission assignment room is short and sweet.

The four of us are admitted back into the rectangular room without a wait. Apparently the Hokage was expecting us, and had all the teams awaiting mission assignments out of the room so they'd be ready when the four of us return.

This time the mission assignment room is nearly empty, with only Minato behind the table. Other than Minato, there are two uniformed shinobi, probably Chunin standing guard on each side of the only other door in the room other than the one we entered.

Upon seeing us, Minato's face brightens, and he stands up.

"Ah, you're back." He says aloud, and then turns toward the two Chunin posted at the door. "Bring in our guest now." Minato continues. "His name is Hiro Nakamura, and he's your package." Minato explains before the Chunin open the door.

One of the two male Chunin nods, the ninja clad in a standard Konoha shinobi uniform, wearing a bandana and dark sunglasses nods quickly. Without a word the bandana wearing shinobi opens the door and motions to someone in the other room. The shinobi moves aside, and another older man emerges from the other room.

The man is dark haired, around Minato's age and wears relatively normal common clothes. His robes are colored a dark navy blue, and he doesn't have any kind of insignia or family crest on his clothes that would make him stand out in a crowd.

However, in spite of his normal clothes, the man walks with arrogance in his stride. He walks with his shoulders high and perfect posture. His eyes also possess an air of nobility, and I can tell immediately that the man is more than just a commoner.

_Maybe it's because I grew up around nobility and self important people that I can recognize it in others so easily and quickly. _

The man looks us over, his gaze sweeping across the four of us for a long moment. In that time I can see disgust form in his eyes, and I know deep down he has no idea about the demon inside me, though I can't help but think deep down that some part of him knows.

_Would you get a grip? The man is from the Land of Rain for the Priest's sake! Not even everyone in the Land of Fire knows about you being the Kyuubi's jailor, and people aren't supposed to talk about it with anyone, so it's impossible for him to know about it!_

He turns back to the Hokage, the air around him reflecting his disgust at our being assigned to guard him.

"Are four _teenagers_ all you can spare to guard me, Hokage-san?" The man asks with his arrogance blatantly obvious.

If Minato is offended by the man's presumption that we're nothing but regular teenagers, then he doesn't show it.

"Ah, but these four individuals are much more than they appear, Ambassador-san." Minato begins, sitting down and interlacing his fingers on the table and resting his arms on the table. "The dark haired boy there is their leader, and he's a member of the Uchiha Clan, and one of my best shinobi." Minato explains.

Sasuke keeps his face neutral, though I can tell that he absolutely loves the praise being heaped on him by Konoha's infamous Yellow Flash. The ambassador looks at Sasuke, who stands in front of Naruto, Shino and me. The ambassador looks at him, and Sasuke stands with his hands on his hips, standing straight and tall. His eyes drift from Sasuke, panning over Naruto, then Shino. Finally his eyes come to rest on me, and I can feel his eyes boring into me. His eyes seem to lock on mine, and I do everything I can to keep my expression neutral and the uncomfortable feeling out of my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Naruto shift his weight to the balls of his feet and then back again.

_He's nervous. It's no wonder, until now everyone in the village has been looking at me like I'm a monster, so he's gotten used to being my knight in shining armor._

The ambassador turns back to the Hokage with questioning in his eyes.

"What about that girl? Her eyes are blank, is she blind or something?" He asks Minato, obviously unaware of the Hyuga clan and their eyes.

Minato shakes his head as he speaks.

"No, she is not blind; in fact her eyesight is probably more acute than yours, or even mine." Minato explains to him.

He glances back to me, and then back to Minato, an incredulous look on his face.

"I hardly believe that, she looks as though she cannot see five feet in front of her face."

Minato smirks cockily.

"That girl is of the Hyuga clan; surely you've heard of Konoha's Hyuga Clan, haven't you?" Minato finally explains, and shock passes behind the man's eyes.

"Hyuga." He mutters in recognition.

He looks back to me and looks me over again. He nods once, and then turns back to Minato.

"I suppose these children will…suffice as my bodyguards." He says with resignation in his voice. "However, should I become harmed; it will be looked at as a failure on Land of Fire to protect a dignitary from another nation."

Minato sighs in resignation.

"I know that, which is why I'm sending these four shinobi with you." Minato explains. "These four will be the best suited to protect you, I assure you." He assuages the ambassador. Then turning to us, he speaks. "You will be leaving immediately."

We nod our agreement to Minato's orders.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Two hours later the five of us are leisurely walking through the forest toward the border with the Land of Rain. We walk in a diamond formation around the ambassador, Sasuke in front, Naruto on the left, Shino on the right, and me in the rear. The entire time I have my Byakugan activated, using it as a field scout to scan the area and search for any threats to us or the ambassador.

"You four act quite professionally. For teenagers." The ambassador says, the last part added almost as an afterthought.

_Why that old little son of a bitch._

"I'd expect no less of my team." Sasuke comments to him.

When Sasuke says 'his team' Naruto's left eye flinches.

_It's obvious that he doesn't like Sasuke's presumption about us belonging to him when we're on missions. Not that I like the presumption either, but I can't afford to think about Sasuke and his arrogance right now._

Beneath the jacket Shino wears, his normally calm kikai flutter, and in all the time I've spent with him, I've learned that the Aburame kikai are very sensitive to their host's feelings.

_Therefore, when his emotions suddenly change the bugs that are in his body react in response to them._

_It's probably for the best if I don't say anything about this being our first mission together with Sasuke. Honestly though, his performance will probably be less than that of Haruka, so our team's overall abilities actually dropped, rather than going up with the inclusion of the 'genius' Sasuke._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Several hours later, the ambassador speaks up.

"I think we should stop and make camp."

_Well I think you should shut your trap and keep walking!_

"We should keep going, it isn't that late yet and we can keep travelling until sundown." Naruto speaks his opinion.

Sasuke stops and turns around, the rest of us stopping as well.

"We're going to stop and make camp." Sasuke says, making the decision for us.

Naruto's gaze becomes icy cold as he looks toward Sasuke.

"Are you only agreeing with him just to spite me?" Naruto demands from Sasuke, who keeps his gaze even and cold.

"We're escorting the ambassador, and Nakamura-san cannot walk any farther today." Sasuke rationalizes to Naruto.

Naruto clenches his fists, his anger toward Sasuke so blatantly obvious that even the ambassador can see it. Shino walks around behind me toward Naruto. Shino reaches out and grasps Naruto's shoulder, giving Naruto a gentle tug, a reminder for Naruto to rein his anger in and compose himself. Shino's expression is his normal Aburame calm, and Naruto locks eyes with him, somehow looking beyond the black sunglasses.

The anger leaks from Naruto's face, the Namikaze boy gaining control of his emotions, at least temporarily.

Naruto turns back to Sasuke, Naruto's expression carefully neutral.

"I understand, Uchiha-taicho." Naruto acknowledges his authority.

Sasuke smiles, as though he expected nothing less from Naruto.

"Shall we make camp?" Shino asks, keeping his ever present neutrality in his voice.

We all agree with Shino's suggestion. The five of us split apart and we begin the routine practice of setting up a camp site. Within twenty minutes our camp site is set up, the five tents in place and a small fire pit set in the middle. Naruto uses his shadow clones to collect firewood, and Shino uses his kikai to create a perimeter guard that will never sleep and never falter. Sasuke and I work to set up the tents and get the fire pit in order, and each time I so much as brush against the Uchiha I feel my skin crawl in revulsion. The ambassador stands idly, watching the four of us do all the work while he tiredly yawns, eventually tapping his foot in impatience when we've apparently taken too long for his liking.

_Ignorant, self important, sanctimonious son of a bitch._

_It isn't really a surprise though. _A voice whispers in my mind. _You've been dealing with so called nobility since you were a little girl. How is this man any different from the countless rich, self important people Hibana paraded you in front of when you were younger? They're all the same. They view themselves as better than everyone else and they choose not to socialize with anyone outside of their clique unless they absolutely have to. They look down on people who are less fortunate than they are, and at the same time they depend on them as their servants._

I force myself to stop the train of thought, quieting the voice in my mind as Naruto emerges from the bushes holding a rather large armful of decent size branches and twigs. Without a problem he strides to the fire pit and sets the firewood down, and then proceeds to set the firewood into an acceptable formation for lighting a fire. Shortly after, Sasuke and I finish setting up the last tent, and just when both Sasuke and I finish smacking the dust and grime from our hands, Shino emerges from the forest, his hands in his pockets.

"Our perimeter is complete." He succinctly says, offering nothing more as he strides to the fire pit.

Both Sasuke and I approach the fire pit as well, the Ambassador sitting on his hiking pack near the fire pit.

"Hinata, I want you and Shino to go catch some food and refill our canteens." Sasuke says.

_Well, that isn't what I expected. I thought he was going to send Shino and Naruto off to do something while he and I remain here, and he'd be ogling me the entire time. I think if he did that, I'd have to hit him with a gentle fist strike to his crotch, let him not feel his family jewels for a while and wonder if they might fall off._

"Shall we go, Hinata?" Shino asks, pulling me back from my thoughts.

It's then that I see he has our four canteens on his shoulders, two on each shoulder.

_Wow, I'm really spacing out. I didn't even notice him go around and grab our canteens from our packs._

"Yes…of course." I hesitantly respond, the surprise and uncertainty in my voice obvious, though none of the men present question me about it.

_I hope Naruto and Sasuke will be all right together. A couple of times today Naruto has had to have either me or Shino restrain him when Sasuke intentionally pushes his buttons. I don't want to know what would happen if the two of them were alone together with only a weak little ambassador to stand between them, not that the ambassador would do anything to stop the two of them from fighting. He's far too self-important to even consider risking bodily harm for someone he knows much less shinobi from another nation._

Shino motions for me to lead, his left arm extended toward the forest. I nod and start walking, Shino taking up pace next to me without a word or a sound. Both Shino and I walk for ten minutes, the silence between us comfortable before Shino speaks, now that we're well out of earshot of the camp site

"I am not inclined to Sasuke Uchiha's style of leadership." He says, and for a moment I wonder if he's even looking for my opinion on the matter, or just merely stating a fact.

During that moment of silence he turns his head toward me, and I can see that he is looking for some sort of response, mentally kicking myself for not reading into his mannerisms better than I have been.

_I've been around him nearly constantly, and I can't even tell when he's looking for my opinion on a subject of conversation now? This thing with Sasuke must've really shaken me, or maybe I'm just really worried that Naruto and Sasuke are going to end up killing each other while Shino and I are off in the woods looking for food and water._

"Hinata, are you well?" Shino politely asks. "You seem, subdued."

"Sorry." I apologize, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. "I'm just worried about Sasuke and Naruto being alone together."

Shino nods his agreement.

"An understandable concern." He begins. "It did not fail to occur to me that our new team leader and Naruto may eventually come to blows."

"Yeah." I agree, not feeling much zeal for the conversation.

_He asked you a question, how about answering him, rather than trying to change the subject?_

"To answer your first question." I begin, changing the subject back to the original topic. "I don't like his attitude or how he handles dealing with our team either, especially when it comes to Naruto." I explain to him.

"I agree." Shino offers. "He had no hand in forming the three of us into a team or in forming a bond between us, like Kurenai-sensei did." Shino continues.

_And the only reason he's here is because of me. If not for his twisted sense of 'love' for me he wouldn't even be here. If only he'd just accepted my rejection and accepted Sakura's feelings, none of this would be happening._

"I'm sorry Sasuke is our team leader, Shino." I apologize with my tone obvious that I feel responsible for Sasuke's presence on our team.

Shino stops in his tracks, the only overt sign of his surprise. I stop nearly a step and a half ahead of him, totally caught unawares by the sudden halt of forward motion.

"What are you talking about Hinata?"

"Sasuke came to the Hokage manor late one night." I begin my admission. "He came to confess his feelings for me, and when I rejected him he didn't take it too well." I explain. "He said he would become a better man than Naruto and win my affection that way. I'm sure that's the reason he's here, to try and drive a wedge between Naruto and me." I finish before Shino can say anything.

Shino is silent a moment, his hands hidden in the pockets of his jacket. His posture remains unchanged from his normal ramrod straight stance.

"Naruto is not one to be scarred off." Shino points out. "He would be prone to confronting Sasuke, rather than retreat from the issue."

"I know that." I admit to Shino. "That's one of the reasons that I haven't told Naruto about Sasuke's confession, because I know that Naruto would end up confronting him about it, and Sasuke might hurt him, or worse."

_Even though I told him if he kills Naruto I'd make it my life's purpose to see him suffer in every way humanly possible. He'd probably rationalize it by saying that Naruto challenged him to a duel to the death, and if he didn't kill Naruto, Naruto would've killed him._

"As long as you explain it to him properly, I believe that Naruto will understand." Shino explains to me. "His behavior will undoubtedly change, but I don't believe he will attack Sasuke."

I exhale a long breath.

"I just don't want the two of them fighting, and Sasuke end up killing Naruto. I've seen how insane he can be, and I know that he wouldn't hesitate to use underhanded tactics if he came down to that, and I don't know what I'd do if he killed Naruto." I trail off, the thought of the man I love dying at the hands of a lunatic causing tears at the edge of my eyes.

"Sasuke is not the type to attack someone without good reason, especially Naruto. Sasuke knows full well who Naruto is, and what the consequences would be for killing the son of the Yellow Flash, even in a sanctioned match."

"I know, but I'm afraid that Naruto will challenge him, and then Sasuke will use those same powers Itachi used against Kakashi-sensei when he came looking for me."

Shino's surprise again shows, a slight rise of his shoulders indicating he heard something he wasn't expecting.

"What happened now?" He asks, and I remember that I never told him about the incident between Itachi and Kakashi, Gai and Kurenai.

_Though he has to be aware of Itachi's powers just before he died. He had to have seen that black fire and I don't think he was able to use that genjutsu on us, but still._

I take a deep breath, and then I proceed to tell Shino everything that happened with Itachi, all about how he was ordered to kill his family because they were planning a coup de tat to overthrow the Hokage, and about how he joined Akatsuki to protect Sasuke, and ultimately give Sasuke a goal to drive him onward, to achieve greater strength, and how even now I have Itachi's preserved eyes in my backpack, about how I was supposed to give them to Sasuke and transplant them for Itachi, so Itachi would always be able to protect Sasuke, with the power of a 'perfect' Mangekyo Sharingan…

Once I finish my explanation, Shino is silent. I glance at my watch, and the second hand seems to slow, time itself seeming to slow down as my friend stands in front of me in total silence. Watching my watch, I see a minute pass, but the minute is one of the longest in my life, before Shino finally speaks.

"Have you told Naruto any of this?" He finally asks, and I shake my head no, feeling like I've just dropped a huge weight I never knew was on my shoulders.

"No, the only other person I've told any of this to is Haruka, and she's a part of the ANBU now, and I doubt she's said anything to Minato, or he would've demanded I turn Itachi's eyes over to him."

"Why did you conceal this from Naruto and me?" He asks with no pain, no accusation, just curiosity in his voice.

"I didn't want Naruto to think negatively of his father." I explain to him. "To know that your parent ordered someone to kill his entire family, and do it in cold blood." I trail off.

"That explains Naruto, but why did you not tell me?" He asks. "Did you feel as though I could not keep a secret?" He asks.

I shake my head no.

"I didn't want to burden you with this knowledge." I explain to him. "For me, the fact that those eyes are floating in my backpack in those containers is like having another demon stuck inside of me." I continue. "Every time I have my pack, I remember those eyes and it eats at me, I didn't want you to go through the same thing."

"Your concern is appreciated, but I would rather be informed than be left in the dark. The information could be important to a mission." He explains to me. "However, such information should be shared with the Aburame elders, as it portrays the Hokage in a very bad manner, and it may change their desire whether or not to be included in Konoha any further."

_That's exactly what I was afraid of._

"Please Shino; you can't say anything to anyone!" I quickly plead to him. "Itachi did all of that to protect the Uchiha clan's name, so that one day Sasuke may restart it, and when he did there would be a place in Konoha for the clan. I can't let it get out that they were planning to overthrow the Hokage and Senju clan!"

"You would have me keep this information a secret, even though the repercussions of such information could affect my entire clan?"

I nod once, feeling miserable at asking my friend to keep this to himself.

"If you tell your clan, they'll go to the Hokage to confirm it, and then he'll know that Itachi let the secret out, and he no longer has to abide by his promise to keep Sasuke safe, something Itachi wanted more than anything else." I explain to him. "If that were to happen, everything Itachi did would be in vain, even his death."

Shino is quiet for a long moment, and again time seems to slow as my friend mulls over my request, until finally he speaks up.

"I will keep this between us Hinata, however I expect you to inform me of anything else like this in the future."

I nod, my shoulders practically falling to the ground in relief, a giant sigh escaping my lips.

"Thank you Shino, I owe you for this." Is all I can manage to say.

"You are my friend Hinata, and while I do not feel proper keeping this information from my parents and the clan elders, I do understand your reasoning for keeping it a secret, and I shall do the same."

_At least I don't have to worry about him saying anything now. Though we should probably get our job done, or Sasuke might start to get curious and come looking for us. I'm surprised he hasn't come looking already, hoping to see me soaked from head to toe in water from a river._

"We should get going; I'll find us a river with my Byakugan, and then work on catching fish."

"Agreed."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Thirty minutes later, Shino and I return to the campsite. I hold several fish, held together by a wire with a hole stabbed through their heads, the wire run through the holes and back to my hand, where I tied it off and hold the circle of wire in my right hand. In my left hand I hold a furry gray dead rabbit, held up by its ears. Shino carries our canteens, now fully refilled with clean river water, two on each of his shoulders. Shino and I emerge from the bushes to find Naruto and Sasuke sitting on small logs that they must've gotten from the forest, the two of them now glare daggers at each other.

_If looks could kill, they'd both be corpses._

The ambassador Hiro however sits on a third log, across the now burning fire pit with a book in his hands, his nose buried in it. He reads with absolute disregard to Naruto and Sasuke's obvious animosity toward one another.

When Shino and I emerge from the bushes, both Naruto and Sasuke turn their heads toward us, their anger toward each other blown away like leaves in the wind. Both of them see me carrying the food, and both of them stand up from their seats, but Sasuke is faster with Naruto wearing his weights. He moves to in front of me and then extends both hands.

"Can I carry that?" He asks, trying to look like some chivalrous person.

"Here." I say with disgust, practically throwing the fish and the rabbit to him before I walk past him, not sparing him another look as I sit down next to Naruto and smile at him, my expression totally different from what I gave to Sasuke.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sasuke scowl at my smiling at Naruto, and Naruto returning the smile. Sasuke marches over, holding out both the fish and the rabbit to Naruto, whose smile fades as he looks up at Sasuke.

"Dress these, and prepare it all for cooking." Sasuke says with his voice deadpan, but I can see the anger in his eyes.

Naruto looks back at him, returning the angry look, but he doesn't do anything other than stand up and take both the clutch of fish and the rabbit, walking away from Sasuke toward his pack. He grabs a small blanket from his pack and then walks to a small patch of open ground. He unfurls the blanket and goes to work.

"Is our site still secure?" Shino asks, and Sasuke glances to him.

"It is." Sasuke says, sitting down where Naruto was sitting only a moment ago, right next to me.

_If he so much as touches me, I'll see to it that he never uses the arm for anything again._

I get up, moving away from Sasuke and toward Naruto, kneeling down next to him.

"Here, let me help you." I offer, pulling a kunai from my pouch.

Naruto shoots me a smile, knowing I have more than one reason for offering my assistance with our dinner.

"Thanks, Hina-hime." He says, keeping his voice low.

Seeing as Naruto is working on the rabbit, I undo the line that holds the fish together and take one of the six fish, the lessons from the academy coming back to me as I go to work on gutting and cleaning the fish for eating.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

After dinner, Sasuke sets up our guard rotation, and orders me to take the first spot in the guard rotation. He sets up the rotation so that Shino is third, Sasuke second and Naruto at the last station.

Thinking about it, I can't help but scowl at Sasuke's attempt to separate myself and Naruto.

_He's such an immature person. The fact that he's even here is a testament to that. If he would act mature about it, he wouldn't have had himself forced onto our team all in vain attempt to try and win my feelings._

I close my eyes, forcing the anger at Sasuke away, banishing it from my mind.

_I can't think like that if I'm going to practice, I have to be calm and motionless, at one with nature._

I do just that, putting my hands together and interlacing my fingers. I take a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. I slow my breathing, feeling the energy of the planet begin to fill me. I quickly take control of the energy, bringing it into balance inside my body.

I feel my entire body begin to feel alive, the energy making me feel like I've just absorbed a bolt of lightning. Unfortunately I don't have my Byakugan activated, and even in Sage mode, there are four different sources of chakra in the area, one of them very large, the one belonging to Naruto, though both Sasuke and Shino are no slouches when it comes to chakra capacity.

"Hinata." Naruto's voice practically booms into my ears.

I nearly jump to the moon in surprise, spinning around I don't even think to flush the natural energy from my mind before I turn, and I curse myself for not having my Byakugan activated, for using the kekkei genkai to be able to see all around me.

_I would've seen him coming the second he stirred from his sleeping bag, stupid, stupid, stupid!_

He looks me up and down, his eyes remaining on my face for a long moment, taking in the changes that manifest when I take on the form of a Sage.

"Is this the Sage thing you were talking about earlier?" Naruto asks, more statement than question.

I nod my agreement, feeling I'm a child who's been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"It is." I affirm vocally for him.

"What exactly is it? How does it work? What's it for?" Naruto asks, shooting questions toward me.

"It's really called Sage Mode." I answer him. "I learned this during my time away; I spent around three months on Myoboku. The point of using it is to mix the natural energy of the planet with my own chakra, giving me more chakra to fuel my jutsu. An added bonus of using this power is the natural energy heals minor wounds and protects me. I've never used it before outside of sparring against Fukasaku-sama though." I explain to him.

He looks at me quizzically.

"Well, if it's so powerful and makes you so strong, why don't you just maintain that form all the time?"

"Like this, my body's cells are activated and energized with Natural energy, and to remain like this for an extended period of time would drastically shorten my life span, and lead to debilitating fatigue due to my body's cells burning themselves out."

"Oh." Naruto says in enlightenment.

"A person can stay like this for around an hour a day, longer than that and you begin to risk hurting yourself. Push it farther and you could easily die many years before you should."

"I see." His voice trails off, his tone one of understanding. "Do you think you could show me just what it does for you?" He asks with his eyebrows quirking up.

"I can, though please don't tell anyone about what I'm about to do."

I get up, walking toward a small tree at the edge of our campsite. I drop into a fighting stance once I'm within arm's reach of the tree, and I thrust my right palm out. My strike is combination of the Gentle Fist and the Frog Style. I strike the tree, and the trunk breaks as though a blade cut through it. The tree falls over backward, cracking loudly as the small branches snap during the fall. Looking at the trunk after the strike, it's easy for me to see that there's hardly any sign that the trunk was hit. Naruto walks toward me. He stops next to me and surveys the damage I've done to the tree.

"Whoa." He mutters, and I can see the thoughts playing behind his eyes.

_He's thinking to himself that I hardly hit the tree, and yet it reacted so greatly. Some part of him probably wants me to teach this to him, but unfortunately it's impossible off of Myoboku. Without the oil from that lake, I can't even begin to teach him to feel out natural energy. Without it not even Jiraiya would've been able to learn the Sage Arts._

Naruto looks from the damaged tree to me, and I see questioning in his eyes.

"Why would you hide something like this from us Hina-hime?" He asks with his voice carrying no accusation or anger, just curiosity.

In spite of the Sage mode, I feel my cheeks blush in embarrassment. I lower my head and push the natural energy from my body, taking my body out of Sage Mode and returning my body to normal.

"I spent three months on Myoboku training under the same Toad that taught Jiraiya the summoning and all the ninjutsu that he knows. He wasn't even able to master the Sage Mode to the same level I have, and I didn't want to make him mad, so I didn't tell him, and when I didn't tell him, I just didn't tell anyone."

Naruto nods his understanding, and glances toward the three still occupied tents.

"Good thing they're all heavy sleepers, otherwise your little stunt may've woken one of them up."

I can't help but feel bad that he's still up.

"What about you, Naru-kun?" I ask, and Naruto grins.

"Me? I'm just a shadow clone." Naruto admits, pointing to his tent. "The real Naruto is lying there asleep."

My jaw flops open, nearly hitting the ground in disbelief.

_I've been talking to a shadow clone this whole time, and I never suspected it for a second! Although, it does make sense that that's why I never felt the bulk of Naruto's chakra move, because it's still lying there asleep, whereas this shadow clone on possess a fraction of his total supply. He is the son of the strongest shinobi in the village, it's no wonder he can manipulate shadow clones so well. _

I smile happily at Naruto, feeling somewhat relaxed in spite of the situation.

"Thank you Naruto, I'm glad that you didn't want me to be alone on my guard shift with Sasuke around." I admit to him, and he cracks a grin.

"Part of me didn't trust Sasuke-teme to actually sleep and try something with you." Naruto admits. "But, it looks like Sasuke-teme isn't dumb enough to do that, yet." He admits. "Though, he is some kind of ass, isn't he?"

I smile again, this time in humor at my boyfriend's blunt assessment of our captain and his attitude.

"He's only here because of what happened during the Chunin exams." I admit, and Naruto looks at me quizzically.

"You mean the thing with the sand and sound teaming up to try and take down our village?"

I nod reluctantly.

"When I saved him, it did something to him, and I think deep down it's the source of him thinking that he's in love with me."

The shadow clone quirks an eyebrow.

"What do you mean he thinks he loves you?" It asks. "He either loves you, or he doesn't."

I shake my head slowly in denial.

"Sasuke has the emotional stability of a five year old." I explain to Naruto. "When Itachi murdered his parents and the rest of his family, it traumatized him greatly, and he's never properly dealt with it, it's been festering inside of him all this time, and it's been leeching away at him."

Naruto crosses his arms over his chest.

"Wow Hina-hime, that's deep."

"Tsunade-sensei taught me a lot about how to heal, both the mind and the body, but I feel like Sasuke is in need of her attention, I'm nowhere near skilled enough to be able to treat him."

"Well, my life is getting short, so your shift's almost up." The shadow clone announces for me. "Good night Hina-hime, see you in the morning."

I nod, saying good night before the shadow clone disappears in a puff of smoke.

As if on cue, ten minutes later the zipper on Sasuke's tent unzips, and he steps out of the tent, closing it behind him. He glances around the site, and his eyes lock on the damaged tree, illuminated quite well in the full moonlight.

"What happened there?" He asks, his tone suggesting that it isn't up to me not to answer.

"Practice." I answer simply before I walk away from him and into my own tent.

Opening the zipper, I crawl into my tent without another word and close the zipper behind me, letting the Uchiha mull that over as I crawl into my sleeping bag, my portion of the guard shift over.

_I'm not going to let him use his position to try and get close to me. Just because he's my team leader, it doesn't mean I have to like him, just tolerate him. As long as I follow his orders on a mission and don't endanger his life, he can't complain. All I can hope for is that this mission is over quickly and uneventfully._


	30. Chapter 30

(Well, this is chapter 30, and it's being posted from Otakon. I cosplayed as Chris from RE5, and my girlfriend was Sheva Alomar, but as of this posting it doesn't appear as though I'll be returning to the con in costume. Anyway, life has been life, and even though I'm technically on vacation, I feel like a total pile of shit, which I'm beginning to wonder if that's how I'm supposed to feel all the time?)

Chapter 30: Complications

"All right, time to wake up." Naruto groggily calls to me through my tent.

"I'm awake already. I'll be out in a minute!" I call to Naruto, who only grunts in acknowledgement.

_Wow, he must be really tired. All things considered, it's no wonder he is, what with using that Shadow clone to keep me company and all. When the clone disappeared and the information got shot into his mind, it must've woken him up, and to process all of that, he must not have gotten back to sleep until it was his turn in the guard rotation._

I get out of the sleeping bag, and I proceed to take off my old clothes and I get into a fresh set of clothes that are nearly identical.

_When I was out alone with Jiraiya and Tsunade, I couldn't afford to carry around a large wardrobe, and I just sort of got used to living like they do. I like what I'm wearing and it serves its purpose as mission gear._

Once I'm dressed, I pack my things, roll my sleeping bag up and stash it in its place on my pack. With that done I leave my tent with my pack in tow, stepping out into the morning light and breathing in the smell of the forest. Looking around the camp site, Sasuke, Shino and the dignitary are all emerging from their tents as well. Naruto stands near the fire pit, his tent already collapsed and stored, his pack resting against one of the logs moved around the fire pit.

We all go through the early morning routine of taking down our tents and storing them in our packs before the five of us sit down for breakfast. Naruto, Shino, Sasuke and I all eat ration bars, while the dignitary takes what's left of our meat from last night, the last morsels of the rabbit I caught, dressed and cooked.

While we eat the dignitary seems pleased, munching on the meat while the rest of us eat less than appetizing ration bars. Glancing around, I can't miss Naruto glaring at Sasuke while we eat in silence, Naruto's expression one of extreme distrust. Sasuke returns the look in spades and the air between them borders on confrontational. Shino and I on the other hand are both calm, and I can tell that Shino has not allowed Sasuke and Naruto's openly hostile behavior to go unnoticed. The dignitary doesn't seem to notice or care as the five of us eat and drink for twenty minutes before Sasuke caps his canteen and stands up.

"Breakfast is over, time to get moving." Sasuke says, taking the lead.

The four of us go about finishing our food and stowing what we're taking on the journey ahead of us. Within minutes we're all ready, and Sasuke starts us off toward the border with the Land of Rain.

Again, we walk in a diamond formation around the dignitary, with Sasuke at the point, Naruto on his left, Shino on his right and me bringing up the rear. I have my Byakugan activated, and I use it to scan the area.

_My position in the formation does make sense if you think about it. With me at the rear of the formation, I have the best view of our rear and sides should something try to sneak up on us._

We walk for nearly an hour, and then I feel a premonition come over me. An undeniable feeling fills me from my very core.

_Something bad is going to happen on this mission, I just know it. I don't know what exactly, or even when it will happen, but I just know that something bad is going to happen. Maybe it's stupid of me to think like that, but I can't deny this feeling._

_What are you doing? _The rational part of my mind asks. _Of course something bad could happen, that's why you, Naruto, Shino, and Sasuke are here, to protect that arrogant man if something bad should happen!_

Even my own logic doesn't help to shake the disturbing feeling that something will go seriously wrong.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Hours later, the four of us approach the invisible border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. Sasuke motions for us to stop before we cross the border, and I glance left and right to see signs posted, ten feet apart from each other. The signs that face us say we are leaving the Land of Fire, and with my Byakugan, I can see the sign on the opposite side that says we're leaving the Land of Rain.

_I guess with this era of peace, and the fact that we've never been at war with the Land of Rain means that Konoha doesn't need to maintain a vigilant border guard like we do at our borders with other nations._

In the distance, hovering over the area with seemingly ominous intent are large clouds of rain, and with my Byakugan I can see the storm beneath the clouds, the falling rain from which the country gets its name.

"Check your weapons and gear." Sasuke reminds us. "Once we cross the border, we have to be ready for anything."

We all do as instructed, and I check my kunai and shuriken, along with the few exploding tags I bring along on every mission. Naruto and Shino do the same as well, five minutes later the four of us are ready, and Sasuke motions for us to cross.

The five of us cross the border still in our diamond formation. I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I feel adrenaline begin to pump into my system, bringing nervous energy with it.

_Have to remain calm, I'm our field scout, if I lax in my duties then we could all end up dead._

As we walk presumably toward the Village Hidden in the Rain, I glance around at the team, and it's obvious to me that all of us except for the dignitary are on edge. Even Sasuke who is normally cold and arrogant has his eyes peeled, his Sharingan active as he looks around, searching for any possible threat.

_I wonder if he has the same feeling that something bad is going to happen too._

_Listen to yourself! He's a shinobi. He's well aware that something bad could happen, so stop worrying about things out of your control and do your job!_

"Can you tell us anything about the civil conflict within your country, Ambassador-san?" Sasuke asks the dignitary.

"Until a handful of years ago, the Land of Rain was ruled by a shinobi named Hanzo, the man who gave your Sannin their name." The ambassador begins. "The current leader, Pain-sama killed Hanzo, and everyone who was sympathetic to the old regime, but not everyone still loyal to Hanzo has been easy to find and kill."

"So, that means that these rebels will view you as a high value target and try to kidnap you and hold you for ransom." Naruto says; more statement than question.

"Of course! That's the only reason we have to be here, otherwise we could send a team of Genin! You know that!" Sasuke scolds Naruto.

Naruto glares at Sasuke with anger filling his eyes.

"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you Uchiha-teme!" Naruto growls at him.

_Uh oh…_

"How dare you talk to me like that? I'm your leader, and I will be treated with respect!" Sasuke demands from Naruto, his own anger beginning to build.

Naruto stops, causing the rest of us to stop, and Naruto points at Sasuke, anger in the air around him.

"I don't recognize you as Kurenai-sensei's, or even Haruka-taicho's replacement!" Naruto declares to him.

Sasuke's hand goes to the sword on his back, and at the same time both Shino and I move. Shino steps in front of Sasuke, facing him while I step in front of Naruto, facing Naruto. I put my hands on Naruto's shoulders, looking into his eyes.

"This isn't how to do things Naru-kun." I remind him, keeping my voice low.

"Proper procedure for such a grievance would require that we wait until returning to Konoha before any action can be taken." Shino reminds both of them.

"I'm going to settle this now." Sasuke begins. "Both of you stand aside! That's an order!"

A moment after Sasuke issues his order, Shino doesn't move. Then he slips his hands into his pockets and moves aside, recognizing as I do, that both Naruto and Sasuke won't be stopped, no matter how much Shino and I argue with them.

_It's just something that they have to do. Unless they fight it out they'll never stop arguing with each other._

I look over my shoulder at Sasuke, and I can't help but feel my face contort into a scowl. As I look at him, his face softens, and he even manages a half smile.

"I'll make this quick, and I won't hurt him." Sasuke tries to assuage me.

"I know you aren't going to hurt him." I agree with him, taking my hands from Naruto and facing Sasuke with my body. "Because there isn't going to be any fight."

_I'm not going to say that I think that Naruto will lay him out flat in a single punch if he actually tried._

It's then that I feel a gentle hand on my right shoulder, and I turn my head over my shoulder to look at Naruto, seeing his eyes soft, with a pleading expression in his eyes.

"Please stand aside Hina-hime." Naruto says as politely as he can.

Looking into his eyes, I can't say no. I break eye contact, looking down at the ground for a moment before I glance back to Sasuke, and then back to Naruto.

"It's stupid for you to fight." I sigh in resignation, moving from between them and standing near Shino and the ambassador.

"It has to be done Hina-hime, you _know_ that." Naruto explains for me, and I nod solemnly.

I stop next to Shino, who stands to the left of the ambassador.

"Sometimes men have to fight in order to solve their problems that cannot be solved through words."

I sigh again, feeling about as helpless and powerless as I've ever felt. I take a deep breath, and I look to both Naruto and Sasuke again, my eyes resting longest on Naruto.

"Don't kill each other." I beg from both of them, and both of them nod their agreement to my request.

_Not that I'd really care all that much if Naruto killed Sasuke._

Shino raises his right hand and puts it on my left shoulder, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry. Sasuke will be unable to kill Naruto." Shino attempts to assuage my fears.

I look at Shino, and I can't help but notice that the ambassador now stands with his mouth agape at what he's seeing, as both Naruto and Sasuke get ready to fight it out. I can feel the bloodlust coming from both Naruto and Sasuke, and when I look at the both of them I can see the restrained anger in both of their eyes.

"How can you so called professional shinobi stand here and watch as the two of them are about to kill each other?"

I shake my head, shrugging my shoulders as Shino removes his hand from my shoulder.

"I don't understand it either." I offer.

"If you don't understand, then why don't you stop them?" The ambassador asks me.

"I simply don't have the power to stop them, there's no force in this world that can stop this from happening." I explain to him.

"Like an irresistible force and an immoveable object." Shino comments, his eyes locked ahead, on the soon to begin fight.

With the talking seemingly done, both Naruto and Sasuke come at each other. When the two of them meet, their arms and legs move like blurs of motion. Watching them, I can barely follow their movements as they attack and block, like a dance at maximum speed.

Some of their attacks land, some are blocked, others straight up miss, but the whole dance happens quickly. After fifteen seconds, Sasuke drops and performs a fluid leg sweep, trying to take Naruto's legs out from under him. Naruto skillfully evades the attack, flipping backward head over heels. Naruto flips backward twice, putting distance between them. Naruto lands on his feet, coming up in a fighting stance. Once Naruto comes to a stop, Sasuke stares him down, anger filling his dark eyes.

"I'll show you just how powerful I am." Sasuke mutters while his hands interlace, forming a quick sequence of hand signs.

_That sequence! I recognize it from when we fought._

Sasuke stands leaning forward slightly with his feet spread. Lightning flares on Sasuke's hand, the ball of lightning localized on his left hand. Sasuke's eyes change, going from deep black to red with three tomoe surrounding his pupil, the fully evolved Sharingan. Sasuke grips his left arm at the wrist, and he raises his right hand, the ground beneath where Sasuke formed the jutsu burned and damaged from the technique. Sasuke smirks, disappearing in a blur of motion. For a moment, the air is still, and then like a bird of prey Sasuke appears from above, the Chidori crackling in his hand. He comes down on top of Naruto, tackling Naruto to the ground with the Chidori.

My eyes go wide at seeing the man I love taken down by Sasuke, the Chidori still crackling in his hand as he stands atop Naruto with dust obscuring much of what's going on between them. As the smoke begins to clear, I see Naruto with his right foot planted on Sasuke's chest, both of Naruto's hands wrapped around Sasuke's left hand, the crackling Chidori so close to his face that only a mere few centimeters separates the ball of lightning and Naruto's eyes. Sasuke grimaces in anger, and his face contorts in concentration. As the Chidori begins to grow, Naruto's leg pistons, going back and then slamming forward. Sasuke's body flies backward at the impact, the Chidori fizzling out while Sasuke recoils from the blow, up and away from Naruto. Sasuke reaches out; grasping a branch with his right hand he rotates around the branch, landing in a crouch on the branch. Sasuke glares in anger at Naruto, who gets to his feet and brushes himself off, removing the dust and dirt from Sasuke's overhead attack.

Sasuke's left hand flares lightning again and he holds out his right hand, another Chidori forming on his right hand, flashing lightning and crackling like a flock of birds. Sasuke's face contorts in concentration, the Sharingan flashing in his eyes. In his eyes I can sense a deep and tremendous hatred in Sasuke's eyes, and a strange almost evil chakra in them.

"Two of em, huh?" Naruto cocks a grin. "But I'm not going to run just because of that. My dad named me after a gutsy character in one of Ero-Sennin's books, and I'm gonna live up to that name!"

Naruto spreads his legs, and raises both arms, cocking his elbow at waist level. He raises his palms toward the sky, opening his hands as though he were holding a relatively large ball. Chakra begins to swirl in his hands, and I watch in amazement as a Rasengan forms in each of his hands, the jutsu a glowing blue spiraling ball of chakra.

Sasuke leaps from his perch, and Naruto moves, his eyes now glow a shimmering gold. Sasuke appears behind Naruto as he turns, and Naruto thrusts his right hand out, meeting Sasuke's Chidori. The two jutsu impact each other, flaring bright blinding light. The ambassador, Shino and I all raise our arms in front of eyes, shielding them from the clash of the two techniques. Wind flies past as a wave of force hits us. The two techniques push against each other, and both Naruto and Sasuke grunt in exertion, and then there's _another_ wave of force, pushing at us both. I lower my arms slightly, looking to barely see both Naruto and Sasuke with their hands facing the opposite hand on the other combatant. The force from the clashing techniques dies down, and both Naruto and Sasuke stand apart from each other, their hands empty with roughly a foot between them. Naruto kicks his right foot out, and Sasuke deftly evades the blow, anticipating it and dodging, grabbing Naruto's leg by his shin, he spins counter clockwise while holding onto Naruto's leg. He spins Naruto like a top, and flings Naruto using the momentum, throwing the other shinobi like a rag doll. Naruto flips in mid air, somehow managing to land with his feet against a tree, his knees buckling from the impact, his feet glowing as chakra adheres him to the tree. Sasuke stands up straight and looks at Naruto with a grin on his face, his arrogance obvious to anyone.

I lower my arms, as do Shino and the Ambassador, and a part of me doesn't believe what I'm seeing.

_They're really going through with this, they mean to kill each other, there's no other explanation. Those techniques were both at full power, and if they hadn't cancelled each other out like they did, they could've caused serious harm to anyone unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end._

"I didn't think I'd have to use this so early, but I guess you really are a Jounin level shinobi, forcing me to use this so I can win." Naruto says.

Naruto drops his weights. The chakra restraints plummet from his body, hitting the ground with four separate thuds. Sasuke draws his sword as Naruto's body begins to glow with a golden radiance, a sure sign that he's readying his 'Flash Mode' that Minato tailor made for him.

"What's this...?" Sasuke mutters, staring at Naruto has he stands against the tree trunk, the glow from his body shining the trunk around his feet gold.

"The Second Yellow Flash of Konoha." Shino mutters, unintentionally answering Sasuke's question.

_This is serious now, when Naruto did that last time against that spider guy, he was like a totally different person._

"What is that?" The dignitary demands, his eyes locked on Naruto's motionless glowing form still attached to the tree.

"It's Naruto's Flash Mode." I answer the dignitary. "It means he's fighting Sasuke seriously now."

"If they're fighting seriously now, what the hell were they just doing?" The dignitary demands. "A warm up?"

"Afraid so." I answer him. "They were testing each other, attempting to gauge their abilities, now Naruto's done that, and he feels as though nothing short of him going all out and fighting at his best will let him win."

_I believe in Naruto, he won't lose._

"You think you can beat me looking like that? What are you going to do, be my little saffron nightlight?" Sasuke goads Naruto, staring him down with the Sharingan in his eyes.

Naruto straightens his stance, standing with his arms at his sides, his hands balled into fists.

"I'll win this in one move."

Sasuke lowers his stance, coiling his legs he springs forward and charges, running like a professional sprinter with the sword in hand, running for the tree Naruto stands adhered to.

"I won't let that happen!" Sasuke defiantly shouts as he runs toward the tree.

Sasuke hits the tree at the base and starts running up it. Sasuke's sword flashes with electricity, the current running along the length of the blade. Sasuke moves within striking distance, Naruto disappears in a blur of motion. Sasuke swings the sword in seemingly the same moment, his sword passing through Naruto, and as the blade passes I realize I'm looking at an afterimage, that Naruto is really no longer standing there, but he moved so quickly that my eyes were unable to keep track of his movements. The image of Naruto disappears, and Sasuke stops, standing on the tree with his sword in hand, lightning traveling up and down the length of the blade.

_Is that worry I see in his face and his eyes?_

Sasuke stands on the tree, his eyes panning left and right, searching for Naruto.

Looking at the scene before me, I remember when Naruto fought against Sasuke's older brother Itachi.

_Itachi couldn't follow his movements either, something to do with the gold aura Naruto uses to protect his body from the air moving across his skin at such high speed. I think it also has something to do with reducing wind resistance, so it's easier for him to move, the chakra in the aura pulling the air around his body rather than against it. From the way Minato explained it, the Sharingan uses the minute movements of the body to predict its next movement, and the chakra aura completely blots it out._

Sasuke's head jerks to his left, and a moment later the sound of a fist striking skin resonates between the two combatants. Sasuke's knees buckle and he falls forward, Naruto's body seemingly materializing behind Sasuke, Naruto's hand extended in a knife edge chop to the back of Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke's body crackles, and then disappears in a flash of electricity.

_A lightning clone? When did he learn to do something like that? Kakashi Hatake was famous for his use of lightning element ninjutsu, so I guess it's possible that Kakashi taught it to him at some point._

I shield my eyes against the bright light, and once the flash of light is gone I look to see Naruto's body still shimmering gold. Then the ground beneath Naruto's feet cracks, a hand shooting up out of the ground aimed toward Naruto's feet. Sasuke's grasps Naruto's leg, and the ground caves in as Sasuke pulls himself up and Naruto down at the same time. There's a moment of movement between the two of them, and Sasuke flies from the small pit toward a tree, and for a moment Naruto floats in mid air before he lands on his feet in the small pit.

_He kicked Sasuke, used his foot like a shovel and hit Sasuke in the side of his head. I guess Sasuke couldn't get a good hold on Naruto thanks to the chakra aura surrounding him._

_If not for my better than natural vision I doubt I'd have been able to follow that, it was all over so fast, if I'd have blinked, I'd have missed it._

Sasuke hits a tree, his body flattening against the tree with a hard slap. It's then that the dignitary's head snaps toward the source of noise, a look of bewilderment on his face.

"What the hell happened?" The dignitary asks, looking at Sasuke curiously.

"Naruto hit Sasuke at such speed that the average human eye couldn't follow it." I explain for the dignitary.

_He wasn't nearly that fast before I left. He's improved so much since I left, and I wonder if I could even touch him now if he seriously fought me. Even with the Sage Mode and my Byakugan, I don't know if I could beat him in a straight up fight. I could probably wear him down, the Kyuubi being within me and the Natural energy sustaining me and letting me fight longer, but if he had an endless amount of chakra, it would be unlikely that I would win._

Sasuke pushes off against the tree, flipping foot over head to plant his feet against the trunk, and adhering his feet to the tree. Still clutching the sword, Sasuke narrows his eyes and grimaces, his anger apparent at Naruto, and then his skin begins to glow, and terror begins to run through me as the seed like mark begins to spread across Sasuke's body.

_Oh shit!_

I put myself between the dignitary and Sasuke, half raising my hands in anticipation of a psychotic episode. Shino removes his hands from his pockets, but seems more curious than scared, and I can tell that he's wary of why I'm suddenly and quite obviously scared of what's happening.

Naruto doesn't seem to notice my reaction, his eyes on Sasuke. The only reaction Naruto gives is a slight rising of his eyebrows, before they settle and recognition passes behind his eyes.

_I told him about that before I left the village, so I guess he remembers about that incident where Sasuke nearly burned down a few blocks of forest in an insane attempt to try and defeat me._

"So, you're letting that out, huh?" Naruto says; more statement than question.

Sasuke grins and I recognize the expression from the incident back then, the absolute insanity that seems somehow linked to the curse mark.

"I'm not losing to you." Sasuke defiantly mutters.

The insanity is so obvious that the dignitary takes a few steps back, putting more distance between him and Sasuke. I'm careful to stay close, shifting backward against the grass, but I never once take my eyes off of Sasuke as he stands against the tree, sword in hand. Lightning begins to crackle across his body, the electricity flashing across the blade.

"Don't get close! If you do he'll hit you with a bolt of lightning!" I yell out in warning to Naruto.

Naruto just nods, a slight bob of his head up and down, his eyes never once leaving Sasuke for a second.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this." Naruto mutters.

He disappears in a blur, and I look to Sasuke, half expecting to see Sasuke leap from the tree in recoil from a blow from Naruto. For a long moment nothing happens to Sasuke.

_What's going on? What's Naruto going to do if he isn't going to hit Sasuke?_

Sasuke spins his head like an owl, and I follow his gaze. Seeing Naruto standing on a branch, his hands together in the sign of the ram, a shadow clone on both sides of him. The clones both glow in the same way Naruto is. Sasuke smirks, the expression carrying the same insanity of the mark.

"What are two shadow clones going to do you? You still can't touch me!" Sasuke goads.

Without a word, Naruto holds out his right hand, opening it up toward the sky with his fingers curled. Both of the clones do so as well, and the air around him begins to swirl. Watching him, more and more air begins to swirl and spin around him, and even without the Byakugan I can tell that he's forming a wind based technique, but what wind based technique, I do not know.

_His elemental affinity if is for wind, meaning controlling wind based chakra will be easier for him than any other type of chakra. However, people with wind affinity are really rare in Konoha, so that means that there aren't that many wind based techniques for him to learn._

The swirling tornado around the three Naruto's seems to peak, and the center Naruto, presumably the real Naruto, nods approvingly. He disappears in a blur of motion, the two clones holding a ball of swirling wind chakra between them at the center of the storm of wind.

Sasuke's head spins around, and Naruto appears behind him, grabbing him under the arms and using his legs to adhere himself to the tree. Sasuke grunts, the lightning on his body intensifying. Somehow Naruto's chakra aura protects him from the electricity, and it's then that the two shadow clones leap from the tree, heading straight for Naruto. Naruto then pushes off the tree, and kicks Sasuke forward, toward the two clones holding the torrent of wind chakra.

"Wind Release: Spiraling Maelstrom!" The twin clones yell out the name of the jutsu.

The storm seems localized as the clones charge Sasuke, the storm coming with them. Sasuke looks on in horror as the two clones thrust the ball of spinning chakra at Sasuke, and the ball of chakra opens on him, unleashing a storm of wind on him. I watch as a tornado localizes on Sasuke, spinning him around in a storm of motion and dust. The tornado rips at Sasuke for a full 10 seconds before the wind settles and Sasuke slowly falls to the ground, landing with an inert thud. As the dust clears, I get a good look at his body. His clothing is tattered and torn at parts all over and there are cuts of varying severity all over him. He has his left cheek against the ground, and there's a nasty cut going across his nose and it looks like it will at least leave a scar.

_He's lucky that the cut didn't kill him._

His body begins to stir, and I feel my mouth drop in surprise.

_Even without the Byakugan, I can tell that with all those injuries he shouldn't move!_

Somehow Sasuke manages to get to his feet, his wounds spurting blood as he gets up. He stands with his arms hanging in front of him, his body slouching forward. The curse mark still stains his skin, and Naruto lands in front of Sasuke, still in Flash Mode. Naruto meets Sasuke's hate filled glare evenly, his voice detached and cold.

"The fight's over, you shouldn't continue fighting." Naruto says coldly.

Sasuke tenses his muscles, trying to raise his arms when blood spurts from the cuts across his biceps, and his face winces in pain.

"That power you're using, it can't help you win." I speak up, and my words seem to cut through the rage in Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke's face contorts into an expression of concentration, and I watch as the mark begins to glow like fire, and then begins to recede back across his skin. He reaches up, grasping weakly at his shoulder as the mark crawls across his skin, back to the place where it was inflicted upon him by Orochimaru. Once the mark disappears beneath his tattered and ripped collar, Sasuke's eyes close, and he falls forward, hitting the ground for a second time with a thud.

_At least this time, he really is unconscious._

Sasuke doesn't move, save for the low rise and fall of his stomach as he breathes. Naruto's body shimmers, the glow flickering a moment before it disappears, his body returning to its normal appearance.

_He needs medical treatment!_

I start moving, taking long strides to take myself toward Sasuke.

"Congratulations." I whisper to Naruto as I pass, giving him a light giggle before I move on to Sasuke, whose blood has begun to soak into the ground around him.

I kneel down next to Sasuke's right side. I close my eyes and hold my hands several inches above his body. My hands come together, forming the hand signs for a healing jutsu before I hold my hands together out with my palms toward Sasuke. I concentrate my chakra and begin to use the healing jutsu, feeling my chakra flow out and into him. Surrounding him with a cocoon of chakra, I begin to concentrate it on his entire body, his wounds beginning to slowly close, his blood slowly crawling back into the cuts and returning to his body.

I'm not working on Sasuke for more than a few moments before Shino kneels on his other side, taking up an identical pose to mine, and I feel his chakra begin to flow into the aura I've created.

_He recognizes the technique I'm using, and he's adding to it. He really does have some skill as a medical ninja, and if both Naruto and he have the same level of proficiency with healing jutsu then they're both quite talented. It's a testament to Shizune-sensei and how much she learned from Tsunade-sensei. _

I spare a glance toward Naruto, and I see him breathing heavily, his stomach going up and down as he takes in great gulps of air. Once he sees me look at him, he grins and gives me a thumb up, putting on a tough face. Behind him the dignitary watches silently, his amazement at what he just saw obvious even to the untrained.

_This is bad, he fought Sasuke with everything he had, and now he can't fend off an attacker if one should come calling._

"I'll tend to Sasuke-taicho's injuries Hinata." Shino quietly speaks, his eyes behind the sunglasses locked on Sasuke's prone form. "You should focus on Naruto, don't let him use a healing jutsu on himself, it will only lower his chakra reserves even further."

_How does Shino know what Naruto's chakra level is? Can his kikai sniff it out or does he have a kikai on him that's constantly reporting his chakra level back to him? _

I nod once to Shino, standing up straight.

"Be careful." I offer to Shino before I turn away from Shino and Sasuke and walk toward Naruto.

Naruto obviously sees me coming, and I can see his mind working, trying to come up with an excuse to rebuff my coming attempt to help him.

_It's a miracle we haven't been attacked yet by some highway man or a shinobi of the rival faction. _

"Are you hurt?" I gently ask Naruto, stopping just outside arm's reach.

"I'm fine. You don't have to use any healing techniques on me." He says, waving his hand dismissively, though he sounds out of breath when he speaks.

I shake my head slowly.

"You shouldn't hide your condition Naru-kun." I remind him. "If you're tired then you need to rest." I glance over at Sasuke, seeing Shino still kneeling over him. "Besides, he won't be moving at least until tomorrow morning, so we'll have to make camp here for the night." I explain to Naruto.

Naruto nods his understanding, and his hands come together in the sign of the ram. Chakra begins to shimmer around him, and I quickly reach out and slap his hands, knocking them apart and causing the chakra that shimmers around him to fade.

"No!" I scold him. "Your chakra is already low. You can't go and use the shadow clone jutsu, it could kill you!"

He sighs, his shoulders slouch in resignation.

"I guess we'll have to do things the old fashioned way then."

"I have to attend to Sasuke-taicho for some time yet, so the two of you will have to make camp on your own." Shino speaks up from behind me.

I sigh, bringing my hands together, forming the sign of the ram. The air shimmers around me as I mold chakra into eight shadow clones, all of them identical to me in every way.

"I still can't get over that you know the shadow clone jutsu." Naruto mutters and I grin, feeling the other shadow clones mirroring in the gesture.

"Ero-Sennin taught it to me during my time away." I explain for him.

Naruto's eyes flash recognition.

"Ero-Sennin, you mean that pervert Jiraiya?"

"Yep." I answer him. "He's actually a really talented shinobi, and he knows a lot. I think the whole lecher act is just that, an act to help him compensate for all the sorrow and death he's seen in his life."

Naruto shrugs his shoulders.

"Plus, it's really useful in situations like these." I continue, and Naruto grins.

"Yeah, that's true."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It's been three hours since the fight between Naruto and Sasuke ended, and thanks to my Shadow Clones Shino, Naruto, and I were all able to set up camp with Naruto doing a minimal amount of work.

Currently I walk back toward our camp site, after a successful hunting trip to go catch some dinner for tonight. Now I carry a deer carcass, the load carried between me and a shadow clone using a cleaned limb from a tree and some wire to hold the dead deer by its legs on the branch.

I push through some brush, the deer and the clone following me. Once I'm through the bush I can see the campsite with my normal vision. I notice Naruto sitting on a log with Shino, Sasuke and the dignitary nowhere to be seen. Upon seeing me and my shadow clone, Naruto's eyes light up in recognition and he stands up. Jogging toward me I can tell that he's still worn out, his gait a half step slower than normal and the bright smile that he gives me, while genuine, has a hint of that exhaustion in it. He manages to cover the distance in moments, even though there's still twenty feet until we're at the campsite proper.

He stops several feet in front of me, bending his arms at the elbows and holding out both hands with his palms up, as if to accept an object to carry.

"You need any help?" He offers his assistance.

"You need your rest, I can handle this." I rebuff his assistance, not stopping as I pass near him.

Naruto starts walking with me, falling into stride.

"I've managed to get my hands on some rations and some water. My chakra's had plenty of time to recover, so I feel better, really."

"You can have this end." The shadow clone pipes up from behind me.

I glare back at the clone, my expression one that could kill. The clone grins back at me mischievously. Naruto doesn't move, obviously not knowing what to do. I look to him, smiling at him.

"It's under control, just sit down and rest Naruto."

The clone grumbles, and I shake my head as I walk, still carrying the deer while Naruto keeps pace with me. The clone helps me carry the deer until we arrive at the camp, and then sets the deer down on an open patch of ground. With the deer on the ground, the clone disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto and I alone.

_Mental note: shadow clones get grumpy when their chakra supplies get low._

Naruto stands next to me as I kneel down next to the deer carcass. Taking a kunai in hand, ready to dress the animal and prepare it for cooking. I start cutting, careful to cut the meat properly and not my hand.

"Your clone was low on chakra, wasn't it?" Naruto half asks; more statement than question.

"It was. They always seem to get grumpy right before they go."

"I know." He begins, changing the subject. "How'd you learn to dress an animal?"

"I had to find my own dinner a lot when I was out with Jiraiya and Tsunade-sensei." I explain to him. "They called it survival training, though I think they wanted me to do it so they didn't have to do it themselves."

Naruto shakes his head in disgust.

"I'd expect _Ero-Sennin_ to do something like that, but not Tsunade-obaa-chan."

"In hindsight it was good practical experience." I explain to him. "Without it, I wouldn't be able to survive on my own."

"My kikai have established a perimeter." Shino speaks up from behind us, and I nearly jump in surprise.

Naruto's reaction is much more overt, actually starting in surprise at our teammate's silent and unnoticed approach.

"I'll finish dressing it in a few, and then we actually have to cook it." I inform Shino.

"I've already got a fire pit set up." Naruto speaks up. "So, there's nothing to do there."

"Our site is secure, and nothing remains to be done save cook our meal." Shino calmly points out.

"How can you be so…" The dignitary speaks up from his tent, his head poking out of the zipper. "…lackadaisical in your duty in watching me?"

Shino turns toward the ambassador. Calmly walking toward the ambassador, Shino stops with three feet between them.

"A female scent producing kikai is currently living on your body, and my own kikai are able to track that scent for miles, so even if you should be kidnapped, we'd be able to locate you without any effort."

The dignitary seems to be taken aback, his surprise at the facts in Shino's statement obvious.

Shino continues speaking, monotone.

"My allies have formed a perimeter around this site, and will act as sentries the entire night without falter, so if a strange scent or chakra source approaches they will inform me about it immediately."

The ambassador opens his mouth to say something, and then a moment later closes it again, apparently thinking better of mouthing off to Shino, even though the four of us are forbidden from harming the ambassador.

"I'll be expecting dinner to be ready soon." He finally admits, and then turns and walks into his tent, closing the zipper behind him.

Shino merely turns around, looking to both me and Naruto, and I can't help but have my mouth agape at him, and out of the corner of my eye I notice that Naruto shares the same expression I do.

"What are you surprised at?" Shino plainly asks.

I gather my wits, shaking my head. Naruto is the first to speak.

"I didn't think you had it in you Shino." Naruto finally comments.

"While the Aburame are known for their detachment, but rather annoying individuals have been known to solicit emotional responses from us."

I don't say anything, focusing my attention on dressing the dead animal and preparing it for cooking.

Looking at the animal, Naruto scowls in disgust.

"I'd rather not give any to that damn dignitary; we should keep the meat for ourselves and not give any to him."

Shino merely nods approvingly, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Heat bombards my skin, and I open my eyes to a scene of carnage. Fires rage all around me and through the flames I can see people running and screaming, screaming for their lives as they flee the flames.

_Where am I? Is this Konoha? No, that's impossible, there's no one who would just burn the village down like this._

I cast my eyes down, and what I see chills me to the core, gripping me in absolute horror. Minato, Shino, Kurenai, Neji, Natsume, and even Naruto all lie in front of me on the ground, their bodies burned and twisted, the limbs bent in ways they aren't meant to bend.

_Naruto, oh…Did I do this? Did I lose control…?_

I feel tears in my eyes at the sight of everyone I care about dead.

"Who did this?"

I feel my entire body freeze in fear when Sasuke's voice answers my question.

"I did…" Sasuke's voice wafts from behind me, answering my question.

I spin on my heels, and I find Sasuke standing behind me, his chest bare and exposed, the curse mark covering his entire body. His eyes are what shock me the most. I can _feel_ the pure insanity coming from them, and I find that I can't make myself look away, or even move.

Lightning flashes across his skin, and he slowly walks toward me. I manage to form the words in my mouth, forcing them out.

"Why, what happened to the mission?"

Sasuke doesn't seem to notice my question, instead he keeps talking.

"I did it all for you…" He says, and I shake my head, stepping several steps back, _away_ from him.

"What do you mean? I'd never ask you to do this!"

"You came to me at night, your body glowing red, and you said you wanted me to prove my love for you, by annihilating the entire village and burning it to the ground. You asked me to kill everyone you cared about without mercy…" He answers me.

I shake my head no, my hands together in front of my chin.

"No, I'd never do that." I try to deny his statement, but it's as though my voice is caught in my throat, the words only coming out in a hoarse whisper.

Sasuke smiles that insane smile.

"It doesn't change the fact that you did." He responds flatly.

"No." I mutter with my voice still seemingly caught in my throat. "This isn't real; it's just a dream."

A low moan comes from behind me, a third voice, joined by another, and then another, and another and another. I manage to turn around, and the corpses that once lied in front of me now stand upright, looking like walking death. They all have their arms outstretched, all of them speaking in unison, as though ripping me apart would somehow quench their anger.

"You killed us…" They all speak in unison. "It's your fault…"

I shake my head no, trying to deny what they're saying.

"You're wrong, I wouldn't do that!" I try to deny them.

They ignore my denial, walking toward me in a slow staggering shuffle. I take a step back, wanting to get away from the undead corpses in front of me, when I feel my back press against something. I feel his arms slip around my shoulders, holding me close to his chest as he puts his mouth near my ear, his voice coming out in a low whisper.

"How do you like your wedding present?" His voice whispers in my ear.

I take a breath, and I finally find my voice. I scream in fear, in denial of everything that I've just seen.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The sound of rain pattering on the tent brings me back to reality, and I sit up in a rush, gasping in surprise. The night air is cold and moist against my sweat soaked skin and I look around, my mind putting everything together, a calm voice in my mind telling me that it was just a dream, and I'm on a mission.

_It wasn't real. It was just a dream, just a dream…_

I look down at my stomach, my face contorting in an expression of anger.

"I absolutely hate you, you goddamn fox." I mutter dryly, meaning every word.

I sigh, sitting back and using my hands to hold myself up in a sitting position. I look up at the tent, seeing the rain drops pattering against the water sealed tent.

"I won't be getting back to sleep anytime soon."

The image of the burning village and the dead bodies is still vivid in my mind and I can't help but somehow know that if I close my eyes and try to go to sleep I'll see the image of the dream again.

With Shino's sentries, we opted not to post a guard rotation, so that means everyone in the camp should be asleep. I get out of my sleeping bag, throwing off the bag I kneel and shuck the jacket, leaving on my sleeveless black chain mail shirt that I wear underneath.

_I'll have to put new clothes on tomorrow anyway._

I leave my shoes in my tent and I walk outside, closing the zipper behind me. Within moments of leaving, my clothes are drenched in rain water, and by the time I sit down on an open patch of ground and cross my legs, I may as well have bathed.

I close my eyes and I quiet my mind, reaching out to feel the natural energy of the planet. Completely motionless, I become in tune with the planet. I can feel the energy of the planet begin to flow into me through my contact with the ground, and my entire body begins to feel alive. I take a breath slowly, knowing that even a slight mistake now could result in my irreversible transformation into a stone frog. Feeling that energy build inside me, my body shifts, changing into the Sage mode as I bring the natural energy in my body into balance. With the sage chakra, I can feel the chakra of the four individuals around me, obviously Sasuke, Shino and Naruto all have substantial amounts of chakra, and the dignitary has hardly any.

The sound of a zipper causes me to open my eyes, and I turn my head to look to see Naruto emerge from his tent holding an umbrella in his right hand. He has his shinobi vest on, though it's hanging open, rather than how he normally wears it zipped up. Looking at me, I can see confusion in his eyes and in his body language.

_He's probably wondering why I'm sitting out here in the rain, looking like I'm meditating in this form._

"What're you doing out here?" Naruto asks, calmly walking toward me.

"I was meditating." I answer him as he sits down next to me, holding the umbrella half over me, and half over him.

"More of that Sage Mode training?" He half asks, and I nod.

"It is, though when I heard the sound I had to check, I feared it might be Sasuke."

Naruto nods understandingly, his eyes looking thoughtful as he bobs his head.

"Hey, just what is the secret to using that Sage stuff?"

_The secret to the Sage mode? Why would he want to know?_

"Um, not that I mind telling you, but why do you want to know Naru-kun? You already have your Flash Mode, and you're stronger than I am, even with the Sage Mode."

He grins, his cheeks flushing at the compliment.

"Well, I do have the flash mode, and while I _may_ be stronger than you, I don't have the chakra reserves that you do, and you said the sage mode gives you more energy to fight with, so I was wondering if I could learn it, maybe combine it with my flash mode, make me really powerful."

"I had to spend time on Myoboku, the mountain of the summoning toads." I begin to explain. "It took me weeks to learn even how to feel the natural energy, and I had the help of special oil on Myoboku. It wasn't until after another whole month that I could draw on the natural energy without the oil. Fukasaku-sama was ready to give up on teaching me."

"Why did it take you so long to learn?"

"It's really hard to feel the flow of the energy of the planet, and when you finally do begin to draw on the energy of the planet, it's very hard to keep it from overwhelming you."

"What happens if you let it overwhelm you? Do you not change into the Sage Mode or something?"

I shake my head no.

"If the natural energy becomes out of balance in your body, then you turn into a stone frog, forever." I explain to him, allowing a hint of despair into my voice when I say 'forever.' "Jiraiya-sensei never mastered it to the same level I have, his version makes him turn frog like, so I could never reveal how far I managed to get."

"Why didn't you tell him? If it's so good, why not use it all the time?"

"Like you said, Jiraiya-sensei is a really…unique person. If he were to learn that I mastered it, it might not set that well with him." I answer his first question. "I don't use it more because you have to be motionless to draw the natural energy into your body, if you aren't absolutely still then you can't connect with nature and can't draw on the power."

Naruto takes all of this in slowly, and he's silent for a moment.

"If you aren't alone, can someone else draw the power in for you and give it to you?"

"It's possible, but so very few people can do it, and I can't do it the normal way because the Kyuubi won't let the mountain toads synchronize themselves with me."

"Well, what about a shadow clone? Could it draw the power if it rode on your back piggy back style or something?"

_A shadow clone? I never thought of using it like that. It always seemed like since the toads couldn't do it, I just wouldn't be able to draw in additional sage chakra after I change, but if I can use the shadow clone like he thinks I could, then using the sage mode could be a lot easier. _

"I never thought of using a shadow clone before." I admit, and he grins.

"You should give it a whirl, you never know if it'll work."

I smile genuinely.

"I'll give it a shot."

Then there's a sound, and with my heightened hearing I can make out the sounds of three, maybe four distinct people moving through the brush, coming toward us.

"Trouble." I let out a low whisper.

Naruto quickly nods. The motion is nearly imperceptible, his intuition telling him that I wouldn't speak unless it was serious. Without making any sudden movements, Naruto undoes his restraints and the weights slip off his limbs nearly silently to the ground.

"They're approaching from north, south, east and west." I whisper to him.

"3…2…1…" Naruto goes through a countdown.

Both of us spring into action. Naruto moves like a blur, and I leap into the air. The sage mode lets me make out the four attackers, and without kunai I only have one option.

_I'll have to use that, haven't actually done it in combat yet, but I really don't have a choice._

Activating my Byakugan, I focus my chakra. Using the sage chakra to release a gentle fist technique that I've created using the natural energy. I thrust my palm forward, but rather than a blast wave of force, it's a focused long range chakra network strike. With the Byakugan it's easy for me to see the chakra networks of the attackers, and my strike flies straight and true, striking one of the tenketsu in the attacker's thigh. My strike numbs the entire limb, and I watch as the man's left leg stops working and falls face first into the ground. He lets out a yell of pain, and by the time the others look up to where I float in the air; two of them are already down, victims of Naruto and his god-like speed. The last uninjured man turns and tries to run as I descend, but he doesn't get far before a black mass of skittering bugs falls on top of him. I watch as the kikai feast on the man's chakra, incapacitating him within moments. I land with barely a sound, and Naruto knocks the last man out. Shino emerges from his tent, and I prepare to banish the natural energy from my body when he speaks, his eyes firmly locked on the fourth attacker, still covered by his kikai. I hardly feel or even hear the rain as Shino begins to speak.

"When were you going to tell me about this power, Hinata?" Shino calmly asks, telling me that banishing the natural energy from my body won't do anything.

I can't meet his gaze, feeling shameful at hiding the ability from him.

"I'm sorry Shino." I apologize. "I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't want Sasuke to know." I finish, my features returning to normal.

"Nearly five minutes ago my kikai informed me of a strange chakra within the camp, commenting that it felt a lot like Hinata, so I merely assumed you were drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra for training purposes, I never fathomed you possessed a transformation similar to Naruto's Flash Mode."

"It's called Sage Mode, and I've known how to use it since I returned to the village. I learned to use it when I studied under the summoning toads on Myoboku."

It's then that Naruto approaches us, his footsteps slow and deliberate. Behind him, the four attackers are tied up and gagged, with what look like socks stuffed into their mouths.

_Where did he get socks?_

"I've got them all bound and gagged, they aren't getting away." Naruto speaks up, pointing over his right shoulder with his right thumb.

Shino glances to Naruto, his expression unreadable behind the dark sunglasses.

"Naruto, were you aware of this 'Sage Mode' power Hinata possesses?"

Naruto shrugs, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, she told me about it, but it was recently, and she said she wanted to tell you herself so I didn't say anything."

Shino turns back to me, his facial expression still neutral.

"Why keep this a secret?"

"Not even Jiraiya-sensei mastered the Sage Mode, and the power is useless in battle anyway."

Shino's left eyebrow perks up in questioning.

"Why?" He asks, the neutrality gone from his voice, replaced by interested curiosity.

"Well, I can't stay in that form for extended periods or it would drastically shorten my life, and in order to draw the energy in you have to be perfectly still, which is impossible in the heat of combat. So, unless I already have it activated like I did just now, or I can get some time in the middle of a fight to draw the energy in, I won't be able to use it."

"How would Jiraiya-san utilize it?"

"Jiraiya would have two of the elder toads from Myoboku rest on his shoulders. They would be motionless and draw in natural energy and feed it to him, but the Kyuubi's presence inside my body prevents the toads from synchronizing with me."

Shino nods, taking all the information in.

"I suggested she use a shadow clone to draw the energy in, but she hasn't tried it yet." Naruto pipes up, and again Shino merely nods his acceptance of this new information.

"Why do you wish to keep this a secret from Sasuke?" Shino again speaks to me.

"He's already borderline psychotic, and he thinks he's more powerful than I am, if he were to learn I have this now on top of everything else I had before, his infatuation with me might sour, and while I don't like him being attracted to me, it's better than him thinking he needs to defeat me like he did with Naruto."

"I see." Shino speaks in understanding. "I will keep your secret, though I have said in the past that I would rather be informed of things rather than be kept in the dark about them."

I duck my head in shame, feeling guilty for keeping it from him.

"I'm sorry Shino." I apologize again, my voice showing the guilt I feel.

A moment later, the three of us are silent as Shino prepares to say something, anything when the sound of a zipper causes me to yank my head up and around, looking to the source of the noise to see it's the dignitary's tent, _not_ Sasuke's.

The man pokes his head out, frowning at the still falling rain that has soaked Naruto Shino and me.

"What are you three talking about at this ungodly hour?" The ambassador asks, and then his eyes pan the camp site, finding the four assailants bound and gagged.

Shino motions with his open right hand toward the four beaten men.

"These men attacked our camp in an effort to harm you, ambassador." Shino calmly informs him. "We were discussing the best method of interrogation."

Surprise flashes behind the ambassador's eyes.

"I never knew there was a battle." He mutters, and Shino keeps his own Aburame calmness.

"We are shinobi of Konoha." He says with absolutely no inflection in his voice at all. "We are not to be underestimated."

"I'll leave you to your work then." The ambassador says, pulling his head back into the tent and closing the zipper.

Both Naruto and Shino turn their eyes toward the unconscious men, and I look as well, sighing to myself.

"This should prove most interesting." Shino speaks, and I'm fully inclined to agree.


	31. Chapter 31

(Well, this is Chapter 31. Wow, who'd have thought I'd ever get this far? Anyway, a lot happens in this one, and I hope you all are pleasantly surprised, hopefully a few of you will say 'wow, I didn't see that coming.' My beta had some problems so he had this for like 2 weeks, and I've been working a lot. I started writing ANOTHER Sekirei story for S&Gs, and I've been playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, will be playing Halo 3: ODST when it comes out, and I've been working on modding a Tokyo Mauri Samurai Edge into the Wesker model from Resident Evil. My point is I don't have a lot of free time, and what free time I do have has many different things to occupy it, so I'll try to work on this as much as I can. I already have 4 pages of the next chapter written as of this posting, though I haven't touched it since. Anyway, I'm babbling. Enjoy the chapter.)

End of Babble

Start of Story

Chapter 31: The New Toad Sage

I pop the food pill into my mouth, swallowing the energy supplement without chewing. Nearly immediately energy begins to surge into me, the effect of the stimulant.

Naruto, Shino and I stand near the four bandits, one of them just beginning to stir from the effects of our techniques.

_It's been nearly an hour since they attacked, and they're only just now starting to stir? _

One of the bandits opens his eyes. His head snaps up in surprise, and he looks around with fear in his eyes as he tries to move his arms and legs and finds them bound with chakra enhanced rope. He tries to scream, but his voice only comes out as a series of muffled grunts, his mouth covered with tape.

Naruto grins, walking over and kneeling down so that he looks the bandit in the eye. Naruto sticks out his pointer finger and shakes it in front of his eyes.

"Ah-ah-ah." Naruto says in a sing song voice. "No screaming now."

The bandit looks at Naruto, me and then Shino.

"We are shinobi of Konoha; we're escorting a dignitary from the Land of Rain. Who are you and why did you attack us?" Shino blatantly demands.

Shino walks over and Naruto stands, moving aside as Shino kneels down in front of the bandit, grabbing at the tape and unceremoniously ripping it from the man's mouth. His face contorts in pain, his eyes squinting from the adhesive on the tape ripping at his skin. Other than the face, the man makes no other outward expression of his pain.

_He's had training, maybe. _

"I'm not telling you anything!" He vehemently declares.

"That's too bad." Shino says in an even tone, and then slaps the tape back into place, covering the man's mouth.

Shino raises his left hand and motions me forward with a wave of his hand. I walk forward, stopping just outside of arm's reach next to Shino.

"This is Hinata Hyuga." Shino introduces me. "You might not know this but Hyuga have the ability to gently tap their opponents with a slight touch and kill them." Shino pauses for effect, but the man's face remains unchanged. "For example she could tap your heart and stop it, _or_ she could strike at your testicles…" He trails, and it takes everything I have not to let my surprise show through.

_He's saying that I'd use the gentle fist to strike at his crotch and do something to his privates?_

"After she strikes them, we can watch as they slowly swell up and explode one at a time in a very slow, agonizing and _very_ painful process that would leave you less than a man." Shino finishes.

The man's eyes go wide in disbelief, and he mumbles something incoherent with the gag on his mouth. Shino looks at me, and then motions toward his crotch.

"Show him, if you would." Shino bids me in his ever neutral tone.

I nod, my right hand glowing blue as the veins around my eyes bulge and I activate my Byakugan. I extend my pointer and middle fingers, curling the rest of my fingers as I reach down toward the man's lower area. I gently tap the man's pants over his left testicle, using the Gentle Fist to remove the feeling in the organ. His eyes go wide in horror as he realizes that he no longer has feeling in the region.

I look the man in the eyes, my gaze meeting his.

"You've got five minutes before the build up of pressure inside will cause it to explode." I tell him in all seriousness. "Once that happens I won't be able to do anything to fix it. Though you won't feel anything because I've numbed the entire area."

The man starts to mumble behind the gag, his eyes showing panic as he starts to struggle against the ropes, mumbling rapidly and incoherently.

"If you talk, Hinata can undo the damage before it becomes irreversible."

With the threat to his manhood clear, the man nods. He greatly exaggerates the motion, mumbling the word 'yes' behind the tape as he nods, showing that he's more than willing to share whatever information he has.

_Well, this should be quick._

Shino kneels down and rips the gag off, the man's face not contorting in pain this time.

"What do you want to know? Tell me quick, please!" The bandit begs, wanting to keep his manhood intact.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning Naruto, Shino and I pack up camp. With our tents and belongings secured, I sling my pack onto my bag, adjusting it for comfort.

_After my little 'technique' the man was more than eager to speak. He said that he and his comrades saw the dignitary in his high class clothes and thought he had money. He said he didn't know anything about a revolution, resistance or who the dignitary was. Then he pleaded to keep his manhood. With my Byakugan I could see that he wasn't lying. Since I never did anything other than numb the area of his manhood, I didn't have to do anything, but I still tapped the area again and said the numb feeling should go away in a few minutes. After that Naruto knocked him out cold and we carried the four of them off into the forest and left them bound, either to starve or get out of their bonds. Shino used his kikai to drain off what was left of their chakra, insuring that they would remain unconscious for another few hours. An hour after that, Sasuke woke up feeling fine, though a little disoriented and he said that his memory of the fight was a bit fuzzy, that he couldn't remember everything clearly. He actually apologized to Naruto after that and then went back to sleep. (Note: Careful of switching to present tense when doing flashback monologues like this.)_

Naruto has since told me that he doesn't believe Sasuke's apology.

_Not that I'd probably believe it either._

For now though, Sasuke seems to have taken his loss to Naruto with humility rather than scorn. Whenever I see him looking at me I no longer see the burning desire in his eyes.

The five of us stand in a semi circle, and Sasuke assists the dignitary with his pack, making sure the pack is where it's supposed to be before he turns toward the rest of us.

"We're moving out." Sasuke says, and the rest of us agree without a word.

We start walking as a group toward the Village Hidden in the Rain, and after nearly thirty minutes the sky overhead begins to darken. Shortly after that rain begins to fall. We stop and the four of us remove a hooded poncho from our packs and don them, the non permeable fabric protecting us from the rain and keeping us dry. The dignitary removes a small umbrella and opens it, holding it over his head to protect himself. Once we're covered, we start walking again. After ten minutes of trudging through the rain, Naruto is the first to speak.

"Does it really rain all the time here?" Naruto asks the dignitary.

The dignitary nods his affirmation.

"Yes, evaporated water from the surrounding nations naturally collects over this land and causes it to rain here more often than anywhere else in the world."

"It _is_ one of the natural wonders of our world." Shino says. "In fact, the main source of tourism in this land, according to what I've read is from tourists who want to come and see for themselves the near constant rain that blankets this land."

"That's correct." The dignitary says. "Though tourism has only recently become a stable source of income due to decreasing levels of strife in our land and the era of peace that the five great nations have entered into since the last war."

"That's all well and good." Sasuke interjects. "And we can talk about this later, once the mission is complete and our guest is returned safely."

_Well, it's good that Sasuke is taking his role as leader seriously now. At least he isn't just using it as an excuse to be close to me._

I activate my Byakugan, using the insight to search the area. As we walk, I can feel the hair on the back of my neck beginning to stand on end, and an ominous feeling of dread forms in the pit of my stomach, further encouraging the feeling that _something_ bad is going to happen.

As the rain continues to fall, our shoes slosh more and more into the ground. With each step rain dribbles from the hood of my poncho and runs down it.

It's then that Shino's head perks up, his head looking up toward the treetops.

"Multiple chakra sources are approaching our position at high speed." He says, and I can confirm the warning.

Seven sources of chakra approach our position like wraiths in the night.

"_Everyone, scatter!_" I yell out a warning.

By the time the four of us have our weapons drawn, kunai fly from the trees. Some of the kunai fly toward us, while some head for the dignitary. I sidestep in front of the dignitary, and I spin, using a Rotation to shield him from the incoming projectiles.\

As the rotation dies down, I look around and see Naruto's weights lying on the ground, Naruto nowhere to be seen. I also see multiple shinobi wearing scarred Rain headbands, and a man wearing an Akatsuki robe with orange hair and silver eyes stands between them. He has piercings all over his face, as though his face was a pin cushion. He looks straight at Sasuke, and Sasuke stares straight back at him.

"You should just give up." The orange haired man says. "Your eyes are nowhere near as powerful as Madara Uchiha's."

"Madara…?" Sasuke mutters questioningly.

_How does he know the Uchiha? He's obviously seen the Sharingan before, but how, and who is this Madara? Sasuke and Itachi are supposed to be the last Uchiha, so how could he have seen the Sharingan?_

Sasuke's body crackles with lightning, and he growls in anger.

"I needed something to beat up on." Sasuke mutters.

The man in the Akatsuki cloak raises both of his hands, palms out with his fingers extended. It's then that the rain that pelts us seems to intensify, coming down harder and harder with each passing second.

_There's no way, he can't control the rain. It isn't possible!_

My instincts scream at me to do something, so I start a rotation, creating a dome that shields both me and the ambassador. As I spin I use my Byakugan to keep track of what's going on outside the dome. I watch as the rain seems to intensify around Sasuke, and it's like a sheet of weight that slams down on top of him in a torrential downpour. Sasuke drops to one knee, and he uses his sword to support his weight. As Sasuke leans on the blade, I watch as lightning travels along the sword and into the ground, somehow traveling along the ground toward the Akatsuki member. Then, another body seems to come out of nowhere, landing in front of the other Akatsuki member.

This one is tall, also wears an Akatsuki cloak, and seems to be really bulky. He has dark skin and piercings all over his face, like the orange haired one.

The new member opens his mouth, and I watch as the electrical attack seems to jump from the ground and then go into the new member's mouth. I watch as he sucks it down as though he's actually drinking the lightning.

When the last of the lightning disappears down the man's mouth, Sasuke stares on in awe as the newcomer stands up straight.

_In order to maintain this rotation it's taking all I have to protect the ambassador and myself. I'm barely able to keep track of what's going on outside the dome. _

"How…" Sasuke mutters in disbelief.

_They both have the same eyes. The orange haired one and that bald one have the exact same eyes! The only thing I know about something like that is from the family scrolls, they talk about the Sage of the Six Paths, the man who created ninjutsu. He had eyes like that, but that dojutsu wasn't inherited by even his children so how is it possible that these two men have it? _

His eyes are silver, both the pupil and sclera are the same silver color, his pupil a small black dot in the middle of his eye, with concentric rings going outward away from the pupil, extending beyond the retina and into the sclera.

"You should've surrendered." The orange haired man says.

Then, all at once a sheet of rain drops on Sasuke, like a wave falling on him out of nowhere. Sasuke drops like he's been hit with a ton of bricks. He impacts the ground with such force that his arms and legs are pinned flat to the ground, the sword still stuck where it was, Sasuke's blank face staring sideways at the blade.

"Now you know Pain." The orange haired one says to an unconscious Sasuke.

I can feel the rain begin to lighten up, and I slow the spin, coming to stop in front of the ambassador facing the Akatsuki member in a gentle fist stance. I start to move forward, and the orange haired man looks toward me, glaring at me with anger in his eyes.

"Stop." He says, not a request, but a command, and I do. "If you continue to move, I'll kill everyone here except for you, but if you don't move I'll only be taking this young man's eyes."

_His eyes, what could he possibly want with them?_

"What do you want with Sasuke's eyes?" I demand from the man.

"I am only following orders." He says simply. "Those orders specifically say I can't kill you, but if you get in my way I'll break each of your limbs."

The other one in the Akatsuki cloak walks forward, and then kneels down and turns Sasuke over. The large Akatsuki member reaches into his robes, and then withdraws a pair of clear containers nearly identical to the one's given to me by Itachi. I watch in a mix of shock in awe as the bald man sets the small containers down, then plunges his hands into Sasuke's face. His fingers seem to slip into Sasuke's eye sockets and then pluck his eye out and drop it into a container. Then, the man does it again, retrieving the second eye without a pause as he drops the eye into the container.

With both eyes gone, the bald man in the cloak stands up, taking both of the containers in his hands.

"We're leaving." The orange haired one says, and then he eyes me for a long moment. "I'll catch you…later." He finishes.

Then they all leave the area in a blur of motion. Using my Byakugan I watch them leave, and once I'm sure they're gone I leave the ambassador, running toward Sasuke. Worry pounds through me as I kneel down next to his prone form, blood seeping from his empty eye sockets. I take my pack off and shove my hand inside, finding the two containers given to me by Itachi seemingly a lifetime ago, and then I set both containers down, making sure both aren't going to fall before I reach for the top of one of the containers.

"This is your only hope." I mutter, cracking the seal on one of the containers.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Two hours later, Shino and I sit on opposite sides of Sasuke's head. We sit with our hands held over his head, chakra flowing from us to his eyes in a healing jutsu. Naruto stands near us with his eyes glancing down toward Sasuke's now closed eyes before he looks around, determined not to be snuck up on again.

_He probably feels bad that we were ambushed like that. After all, he was occupied by those Hidden Rain shinobi that came with those two Akatsuki members so he couldn't step in and try to stop that man from taking Sasuke's eyes. Shino didn't want to reveal himself and end up getting injured._

"Any news?" Naruto sensitively asks, knowing that both Shino and are concentrating on insuring that Sasuke's new eyes take.

"It appears as though his ocular nerves are healed and connected to the new eyes." I explain for Naruto. "But, we won't know for sure until he wakes up if he'll be able to see." I explain for Naruto.

"So, all that's left is to heal the skin and muscle damage he sustained?"

"Basically." I answer.

_Not that his eyes weren't damaged pretty badly. First he had them forcibly removed, and then he had two new eyes put into the sockets. _

"Any idea when he'll wake up?" Naruto asks.

"I don't know." I answer, shaking my head.

"That weird silver eyed guy could've killed all of us, so why didn't he, when it even looks like he can control the weather, what's up with that?"

"It has to have something to do with his eyes." I answer him.

I can feel Naruto looking at me, and then Shino looks up from Sasuke's face.

"How can a dojutsu enable a shinobi to control the weather?" Shino asks.

"Yeah, what he said." Naruto adds.

"I don't think it's his eyes." I explain for the two of them. "Have either of you two ever heard of the Sage of the Six Paths?" I ask.

"You mean the guy who created ninjutsu?" Naruto asks.

"Yes." I nod my agreement. "I learned that there are three great dojutsu in this world, the Hyuga and Byakugan, the Uchiha and the Sharingan, and finally the Sage and the Rinnegan. It allowed him to control any element of chakra as he saw fit. I saw drawings of him, and in every picture he was depicted as having eyes like that of those two that fought Sasuke."

"That guy, if he's the Priest, must be a couple hundred of years old." Naruto points out. "Did the Priest have any children?"

"He did, but according to the records, none of his children or his grand children had the Rinnegan, it was supposed to be unique to him."

"Then how is it possible that those two guys had it at the same time?" Naruto asks.

I shrug my shoulders, keeping my hands still and not breaking the healing jutsu.

"I don't know, but I'm willing to bet that rain manipulation technique he used was developed using the power of the Rinnegan and the chakra in them."

"Mmm…" Sasuke murmurs.

Both Shino and I pull our hands away from Sasuke's face as he begins to stir, his body beginning to move as he opens his eyes and slowly sits up. He rubs at his temples, groaning in pain and then pulls his hand away. He looks around, blinking his eyes and I can tell that his eyes work.

"Hinata…" He mutters, looking at me then he looks to Naruto, then Shino. "Naruto, Shino…" He continues. "What happened? Something feels different."

"Is your vision all right?" I ask. "Anything wrong?"

He blinks, looking at me like I have two heads.

"It's fine, why are you asking?" He asks, a sense of dread leaking into his voice.

"That Akatsuki member ripped your eyes out." I explain to him. "We replaced them with your older brother's."

His eyes go wide in shock.

"Itachi's?" He asks with breathless words.

"Before you became our captain, we had a mission where we encountered Itachi and his Akatsuki partner." I explain to him. "Itachi killed his partner then he took Naruto and me underground and told me all about what the village did to your clan, and what Minato made him do." I continue. "He told me he was dying, and had me remove his eyes and preserve them. He wanted his eyes to be your sword, protecting you for the rest of your life." I pause, letting him take the information in. "I wanted to tell you, but it wasn't something I could just bring up in casual conversation."

Tears form at the edge of Sasuke's eyes, and he doesn't say anything. I feel obliged to speak, so I continue.

"Itachi spared you, pleaded with the council to spare you, because he loved you Sasuke." I explain to him. "It was his dying wish to have you inherit his eyes, and I've done my best to fulfill that request. What you do with those eyes is your choice now."

Sasuke looks down at his open palms as though he's seeing them for the first time. He then closes his hands into fists, and they begin to shake with rage.

"He only did what he did to protect the Uchiha name." I continue, trying to calm his rage. "If your family had attempted the coup they were planning and failed, all of you would've either been locked up or even killed, even you." I try to explain to him. "For Itachi, the only way to be absolutely sure to save you was to do what he did, and even now, not all of the Uchiha are dead."

Sasuke looks up, the rage and anger forgotten, replaced by shocked bewilderment.

"Who?" Sasuke asks.

"Her name is Haruka." I finally reveal to him. "Minato warned her of Itachi's attack, and she understood because she had so little to do with the clan machinations since she was working with Kurenai-sensei and her team so closely. She was given a drug that would put her into a temporary death state, and the ANBU came and retrieved her. She's been watching over you ever since, she's been living under an assumed identity, and working as an ANBU."

Sasuke's eyes show a mix of shock and surprise.

"Auntie Haruka has been alive, all this time." He mutters with disbelief in his voice.

"She couldn't have contact with you, Minato forbade her from coming into contact with you, afraid that her life might be in danger if she revealed her bloodline. As far as I know, even the village council isn't aware of whom she really is."

Sasuke nods and then he looks down at the ground, taking a deep breath before he looks me in the eyes.

"What about the dignitary, what about the mission?"

"We have locked the dignitary in his tent." Shino informs him. "We already asked him about the attackers, and he told us that none of the attackers were rebel leaders." Shino explains. "Since he wasn't convincing, we assumed he was under the influence of the Rinnegan, and we can't afford to take any chances."

Sasuke's face contorts into an expression of grim determination.

"I'll interrogate him, and I'll find the truth about what happened."

He gets to his feet, standing up and putting his hands on his hips.

"How will you interrogate him?" I ask curiously.

Sasuke's eyes change into the Sharingan, and then I watch as his eyes change again, shifting to another form of the Sharingan. This form looks something like a molecule, a dot surrounded by ovals intersecting around the pupil.

"I have my ways." Sasuke mutters, his eyes giving off an almost evil aura.

With that, Sasuke opens the ambassador's tent, and then walks inside. Naruto, Shino and I all stand there and wait for two minutes before Sasuke emerges, his eyes normal again. He closes the tent zipper behind him, turning to face us with a stoic expression on his face.

"He was under a powerful manipulation jutsu." Sasuke informs us. "He doesn't have any memories of anything he's done while under control of the jutsu."

"That is worrisome." Shino trails, not bothering to explain _why_.

Sasuke merely nods his understanding while Naruto's face contorts into an expression of curiosity.

"Why is that a problem?" Naruto asks.

Shino is the one to answer Naruto's question.

"While in Konoha, that man secretly underwent multiple screenings to detect things such as manipulation techniques. If he was able to pass those screenings and the jutsu was undetected, it must mean it was a very powerful technique, or one unlike anything used before."

Sasuke nods again, agreeing with Shino's statement.

"With my Sharingan, I was able to free him from the technique, but he doesn't have a clue as to what's going on."

"If he was under control this whole time, why didn't he just rip your eyes out while we slept, when we were defenseless?"

"I believe he had a different purpose." Sasuke explains. "While in Konoha, he requested that the son of the Hokage be one of the ninja to accompany him back."

Both Shino and I look to Naruto, who has a look of surprise on his face.

"What, you think this was all some convoluted attempt to kidnap _me_?" Naruto asks, pointing to his face with his right pointer finger. "What are they going to do, hold me for ransom?"

"It's possible…" Sasuke trails. "But, more than likely they wanted Hinata-chan. It's fairly well known that she's teamed with the son of the Hokage, and the Hokage himself holds her in high regard."

"It was all just a ruse to get Hina-hime out of Konoha and into the Land of Rain." Naruto says in understanding.

_Oh no, now Sasuke's going to bite his head off._

Rather than bite Naruto's head off at his pointing out the obvious, Sasuke merely nods his agreement.

"We fell right into it, and I don't doubt that the Land of Rain will be mobilizing to keep us here until we're all captured."

"We are all from prominent clans within Konoha." Shino points out. "We could all be held as hostages or for ransom."

I nod grimly.

"But I'm not that lucky." I point out. "For me, they'll forcibly extract the Kyuubi from me and kill me. Then they'll either sell you all off to Konoha or they'll kill you all too." I say without any anger or spite, but calm acceptance in my voice.

"It's time we make a decision." Sasuke says, taking charge. "I want to put it to a vote, we're all competent shinobi, we could possibly assault the Akatsuki headquarters and win the engagement, or we can return to Konoha, running into whatever traps that have been set behind us and try to get back to the Land of Fire without getting killed."

His eyes lock on me, and again there isn't any lust or desire in his eyes, only calm determination.

"You should vote first Hinata-chan." Sasuke says. "You were the reason we were lured here."

"I'd rather push forward." I inform them. "I'd rather put an end to all of this rather than drag it out."

Sasuke nods his understanding and then looks to Naruto, seeking his vote. Naruto doggedly shakes his head no.

"I'd rather not risk dying knowing what we know." Naruto explains. "I'd rather get back to Konoha and let people know what's happened."

"I'd rather stay and make Akatsuki pay for everything they've done." Sasuke chimes in, and then looks to Shino.

"While I am the least invested in this mission, as I am probably the least 'valuable' target for our enemy, however I concur with Naruto's assessment of the situation. We need to return to Konoha with the knowledge we've gleamed, and to allow the Akatsuki more opportunity to capture Hinata would put them closer to their goals, and if keeping her free prevents them from doing whatever it is they want to do, I vote we leave." Shino finishes.

_His vote makes it a tie, so how is Sasuke going to react to this?_

"Technically, my vote doesn't count, due to my recent…involvement in the situation." Sasuke explains. "So, the decision has been made. We break camp immediately, get packed, we're heading home."

"What about the ambassador?" Naruto asks.

"He's asleep." Sasuke answers. "We'll open his tent, and when he wakes up he's free to do whatever he wants, but we ARE NOT taking him back to his village."

_I don't like the outcome, but I know that Naruto and Shino are just thinking to do what's best. We didn't come prepared to make an all out assault on an enemy stronghold. Plus with what we've learned about that guy with the Rinnegan, the knowledge could save Konoha in the future._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The four of us move through the trees, our movements whisper quiet as we proceed back toward the border with Konoha. I have my Byakugan on, using it to scan the area around us. It's been nearly half an hour since we decided to return to Konoha, and we haven't seen hide or hair of an enemy since the attack by the Rinnegan bearing shinobi.

_Could it be that they specifically wanted Sasuke's eyes? But the question is why? Why snatch his eyes away and then leave him to bleed to death? Why leave me, the Jinchuriki that contains the Kyuubi No Kitsune alive and running around when I was right in front of him? It doesn't make any sense! _

_Unless…they somehow knew that I had Itachi's eyes, and their goal was to force Sasuke to obtain that weird permanent Sharingan. But, how could they know that I had Itachi's eyes? The only people that knew that I had them were Naruto and then Shino, so it's impossible that they could be aware of it, but somehow I get the feeling that that's exactly what the purpose of it all was, and they knew everything._

_That means I played right into their hands by helping him! How could I be so stupid? I should've figured it out sooner that they'd want me to transplant Sasuke's eyes and I did it! How moronic! I should've just left him to bleed out and die blind, but now he has his eyesight, and I didn't even hesitate to help him!_

_Then there's what he said. He said he was under orders to only take Sasuke's eyes. Yet he commanded those other people like they were his servants, so there has to be someone else capable of ordering around someone with the Rinnegan pulling the strings. What I don't know is how was that guy able to manipulate those bodies like that, and if he isn't the leader, then how freakishly powerful must the true leader be? Why would they even want the Bijuu when they're already strong enough to manipulate the Akatsuki and keep them in line? _

I take a deep breath, shaking my head and clearing my mind of the irrelevant thoughts.

_They're counting on me to keep my attention on what's going on. I can't afford to let my thoughts wander. _

Something ahead moves, an object falling down from a higher branch ahead.

"_Stop_" I call out to the three of them.

A tree branch snaps down mere inches in front of Sasuke, a kunai wedged into the end of the limb. To stop himself Sasuke reaches out, grasping an overhead limb and swings upward. He pulls his legs in, barely avoiding the branch as he comes to crouch atop the branch. Naruto and Shino both still stand on branches, their gazes scanning the area around us as they search for a threat. Sasuke himself remains in his crouch, his gaze slowly panning in front of him, and I can see the Sharingan in his eyes.

"The area around us is cleared of chakra sources." I inform them.

"They must've set traps and then bugged out." Sasuke says. "That was intelligent, figuring that we might run and knowing that we have a Hyuga, it makes their traps that much harder to locate." He continues.

He turns his gaze to me, looking at me with all seriousness in his gaze.

"Is there anything else in this area?"

I look around, thoroughly scanning the area around us and I don't find anything out of the ordinary. I shake my head to answer Sasuke, and he nods his understanding.

"We'll cut left and move in an arch pattern. That should help to reduce the risk." Sasuke makes the decision.

Naruto, Shino and I all nod our agreements, and we take off, following Sasuke through the trees. We move as a unit, our bodies going from branch to branch with wraith-like efficiency. Looking around at the three of them, I can tell that they're all on high alert.

_Obviously, they're all looking for traps and such now, they know that the enemy was smart enough to set up autonomous traps along one path, it's possible that they rigged traps throughout the entirety of the forest behind us. _

We move silently, my mind focused on preventing the group from walking into another almost fatal situation. After nearly twenty minutes, I spot something in the distance.

"Stop!" I call out, and the three male shinobi stop on their respective branches.

The four of us are all spread out amongst the trees, each of us taking a different path, and making it that much harder for me to make sure the entire forest ahead is clear.

"What is it?" Sasuke asks, his Sharingan scanning the area.

Focusing on the odd chakra source, I bring it into focus, using 'real' vision to physically see it. What I see is an obese man in an Akatsuki cloak, with piercings all over his face, and a Rinnegan in his eyes. His ears are large and floppy, like a dog's and he has spikes protruding from his skull.

There are two other Akatsuki members there, one with long hair that is spiked in a multitude of directions with piercings on his face. The third is a woman, with her hair tied into a spiked bun on top of her head, the rest of it hanging down around her face. All three of them have the Rinnegan.

"One of those Akatsuki members that attacked you earlier Sasuke, the fat one, along with two others." I explain for him.

Anger flashes in Sasuke's eyes at my mention of one of the Akatsuki members that so thoroughly trounced him, but it's there and gone in an instant.

"We'll go around."

I nod, as do Naruto and Shino. Sasuke jumps to left, to go on a path that will take us around the three Akatsuki members. Naruto and Shino begin to move, and I don't even move as the three Akatsuki separate, one of them heading off to intercept Sasuke, Naruto and Shino.

"_Wait!_" I yell out, reaching out with my right hand.

Sasuke stops on his branch and spins his head toward me with a questioning air around him.

"What is it now?" He asks.

"I think they know how we're moving."

To say that the expression he gives me in response to my statement is one of incredulity, is a complete understatement.

"How can they know?" Naruto asks, believing what I'm saying.

Then the gears seem to click in my head, and I remember what happened to Sasuke, how the rain seemed to focus on him and come down harder on him than anyone else.

_He controls the rain! It must be he somehow knows how people move within the storm. There's no other explanation for what's happening, and I don't like what it means, but it has to be the truth._

The rain continues to fall as I look to each of them in turn as I speak.

"It's the rain; somehow he knows how we're moving since we're inside the storm." I offer my explanation to them. "Somehow one of them can control it, and he used it to beat you Sasuke during our last encounter with them. It's possible he somehow uses it as a means of detection."

"That isn't possible." Naruto says, shaking his head. "Rain is a natural phenomenon, there's no way that a single person can create an entire rainstorm capable of covering an entire country."

"Just as our Second Hokage was able to use any water based ninjutsu with water spat from his mouth, when most shinobi require a source of water nearby?" Shino asks. "Besides that, you saw what happened with Sasuke-san, is it so hard to fathom this as well?"

Naruto smacks his palm into his forehead in frustration.

"Great, that means we're stuck. We can't get around them and we can't retreat."

"Our only option is to go forward, to fight them and go through them." Sasuke says with a serious tone.

Sasuke looks around, gauging the team's reaction to his statement, and I do the same, seeing the same acceptance on their faces that I see in his face, that they truly believe that we don't have any other option other than to fight and win.

_Shino obviously doesn't have any ideas or he would've spoken up. We know Naruto's stance on the whole thing, and Sasuke's opinion is pretty clear. _

"I could maybe use my dad's Flying Thunder God." Naruto speaks up. "Though, that would only work on me, and it wouldn't help any of you."

_The Flying Thunder God, a teleportation jutsu._

_Wait! There is a way out of this!_

"I have a way out of this!" I speak up, and the three of them turn their heads toward me, their expressions almost making me feel like I shouldn't have spoken up.

"How?" They all nearly ask in unison.

"I can reverse summon us away from here." I explain to them. "I learned how to do it on Myoboku."

"Can you take us anywhere?" Sasuke asks.

I shake my head no.

"It doesn't work like that, and if I do manage to perform it, then I won't have the chakra to do it again for a while."

Suddenly there's movement all around us, and I curse my own stupidity at taking my eyes off of the three Akatsuki members, when six people in Akatsuki cloaks appear on branches around us. Three of them are the ones from ahead, and then there's the blonde haired one with short hair that somehow manipulates the rain, along with two others.

"Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha will come with me, the rest will experience Pain." The orange haired rain controlling one says.

_Oh crap._

Sasuke, Naruto, and Shino all move toward me, stopping near me as the four of us form a square formation. My hands come together, forming the seals one after another in rapid movements. I finish the sequence in a flash, and I bring my right thumb to my mouth in a blur, biting down on my thumb, creating a blood flow. The six bodies leap, attempting to stop me as I slam my hand down onto the branch, funneling all the chakra I can into the blood.

_Please let this work!_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The smell of burning oil and the heat of a candle pull me out of unconsciousness, and the feeling of a soft mattress beneath me tells me that something happened.

I open my eyes to see that I'm in a dark chamber, the décor identical to the chamber I stayed in during my time on Myoboku, the unique smell of the mountain bringing back all those memories.

_I guess it worked. After I used the jutsu I must've blacked out, but I feel fine now. _

I groan tiredly as I sit up, rubbing at my eyes with my left hand.

"So, you're awake eh?" A familiar voice enters my ears.

I turn my head toward the source of the noise, seeing one of the smaller summoning toads sitting on the floor near the bed, looking up at me.

"Gamatatsu." I speak his name.

The small yellow toad smiles at my remembering his name. I open my mouth to ask the small toad about my friends when Gamatatsu speaks.

"Your friends are all resting, waiting for you to wake up." Gamatatsu tells me. "Though, when you all first arrived you were unconscious, looked like you exhausted all your chakra coming here, they were all worried." Gamatatsu explains. "Though, the one that smells really tasty turned really pale, and I thought he might pass out."

I shake my head slowly, knowing exactly who Gamatatsu is speaking of.

_He must be talking about Shino. With him having all those insects in him, he'd be like a smorgasbord for them._

"Once they found out you were all right, they wanted to take a look around." Gamatatsu continues.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"About six of your hours." The toad pauses. "You were mentally and physically exhausted, if not for your passenger, you wouldn't be up and about as it is."

I look down toward my stomach, and I reach up with my right hand and gingerly pat my stomach, near the location of the seal.

"There has to be some advantage to having that thing sealed in me." I mutter.

"_Riibiit_…" Gamatatsu clears his throat, pulling my attention and my gaze to him. "Would you like to go see your friends?"

"Yes, please." I say, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and planting them firmly on the ground before I stand up.

"Follow me." Gamatatsu bids me.

The toad hops toward the door, and I follow him. He uses his front foot to open the door, and I follow the toad out of the cave complex that serves as bedrooms on the mountains and out into the open air of the plateau on the side of the mountain. In the middle of the plateau is the Lake of Toad Oil, and beyond the lake sitting on a rock, looking like his nerves are on edge sits Shino with his arms crossed as he stares at the pool. He looks _very_ alert, and almost afraid as he glances around behind his ever present sunglasses. In front of him sit both Naruto and Sasuke practically on the edge of the Oil Lake, the two of them sitting in a meditative pose. Fukasaku stands between them, his scepter in hand.

_Well, isn't this a familiar looking scene?_

I look toward the small frog, still well out of earshot of the two meditating shinobi.

"Are they learning the Senjutsu?" I ask Gamatatsu.

"That blonde kid wanted to know if this was where you learned how to do it, and once he learned it was he demanded to learn it too, and once the Uchiha learned what it was, he wanted to learn it too."

Fukasaku jumps up, whacking both Naruto and Sasuke on the head, driving the natural energy out of their bodies. Both of them cringe from the impact, opening their eyes and looking toward the toad elder.

"All right, training's over now tadpoles!"

Both of them open their mouths to protest, but Fukasaku looks at both of them.

"It'll take weeks for both of you to learn the Senjutsu. Do you both really have that kind of time?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke look at each other.

"Your village needs every shinobi it has right now, neither of you can afford to be gone that long." He explains to them.

His eyes lock on me, and I see the elder toad smile.

"Besides, Hinata over there is the first to ever master it completely, not even that tadpole Jiraiya could do that." He explains to them. "Neither of you have signed the toad summoning contract, so it'll be that much harder without that connection."

Both Naruto and Sasuke glance at me, and then nod. They both kneel and pick up their gear, putting it back on.

Fukasaku turns his attention away from them, and then leaps across the lake, landing near me with his scepter in hand.

"Good to see you up and around little tadpole." He says in greeting. "I never thought I'd see you turn up here using the reverse summoning jutsu I taught you."

"I really didn't have a choice…" I trail, and Fukasaku nods.

"I heard all about it from your teammates, no need to explain." He begins. "This man with the Rinnegan, he must be the reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths, and therefore extremely dangerous. You shouldn't fight him except as a last resort."

Naruto, Sasuke and Shino walk around the lake, listening to Fukasaku as he speaks; absorbing the information, and Naruto is the one to voice the concern that I feel.

"Well, what do we do now?"

"We have to return to the village." Sasuke answers him.

"I can take you there no problem." Fukasaku speaks up. "But, the question is, once you return to the village, what will you do when you get there?" He asks. "It's obvious that you'll report all of this to your Hokage, but you're all involved in this now, you can't just push it onto someone else."

_He's right; we can't just report all of this to Minato and then walk away. Regardless of how much I might want to do just that, I can't. _

Looking around at Naruto, Sasuke and Shino, I can see all of them thinking about Fukasaku's words, just like I was.

"I'm going to do everything I can to put an end to all of this Akatsuki stuff." I say.

Naruto nods his agreement, and Shino shifts his weight from his left to his right foot, finally crossing his arms over his chest and nodding. Sasuke is the only one who doesn't say anything, doesn't show any outward emotion.

"Are you the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha?" Fukasaku asks, and surprise registers on Sasuke's eyes for a split second.

"I am, but how did you of all people know about my older brother?"

"Everyone knows about the Uchiha and the rogue Itachi." Fukasaku responds. "Thought you may not think you're a part of this, you're probably more personally invested than anyone else here, almost more than Hinata."

Sasuke's eyebrows rise in surprise, and he looks to the Toad Elder with questioning surprise on his face. Seeing the expression on Sasuke's face, Fukasaku sighs, shaking his head slowly in pity.

"So, no one's told you…" Fukasaku trails with an ominous tone.

"Told me what?" Sasuke rudely demands.

"Madara Uchiha is the founder of the Akatsuki and the true leader of the organization." Fukasaku explains to all of us. "He manipulates the organization from the shadows."

"How do you know this?" Sasuke demands.

"I've been around since Madara himself was just a tadpole. I've watched this whole horrible situation unfold and been powerless to interfere."

Sasuke is stunned into silence by this revelation, and Naruto looks at Fukasaku, an incredulous look on his face.

"You mean _the_ Madara Uchiha, the guy who founded Konoha along with the First Hokage?" Naruto asks.

"Yes." Fukasaku says with a nod. "Somehow, Madara has gained the power of immortality, and since he left Konoha those many years ago, he's tried numerous times to destroy Konoha, and the Senju clan that has ruled it until your father became Hokage." Fukasaku continues. "His most recent attempt was the Kyuubi attacking the village. He sent it to Konoha and caused the entire cycle of events to unfold as they have. Since then he created Akatsuki and has hid himself in it as they attempt to conquer the world."

As Fukasaku speaks, Sasuke's fists begin to shake in anger.

"So, Itachi had to kill mom and dad because Madara sent the Kyuubi to Konoha?" Sasuke asks, and Fukasaku nods.

"Yes, though I doubt that Madara would explain it that way." Fukasaku explains. "But, from what I've gleamed from speaking with Jiraiya, the village council only began to suspect the Uchiha clan after the Kyuubi attacked. If not for that event, then the council never would've suspected the Uchiha and therefore never tried to remove them from village operations, and the clan never would've planned a coup."

Sasuke snaps, screaming in rage as he raises his hand into the sky and then slams it into the ground. His fist impacts with a _bang_ that resonates in the open air of the mountain. His fist penetrates up to the wrist, and Sasuke's expression doesn't show any pain, just pure unadulterated rage.

_Of course, he just found out that his family was murdered because of some old man's grudge against the Senju. _

Blood begins to seep from cuts on Sasuke's hand, but he doesn't move his hand, only grinding his teeth in an attempt to vent his rage.

_I've seen that anger before, it's the same anger I've seen in the eyes of the Kyuubi. Now I understand why it's so angry all the time. It came to Konoha against its will and got imprisoned inside me for it. Living its life inside of my body, I'd probably be ready to kill someone too._

Sasuke pulls his hand from the ground, grunting from the scraping skin, but no one moves to help him as he looks down at his hand, a demonic bloodlust floating around him as his eyes change into his Mangekyo Sharingan. He looks up at the sky, anger in his gaze.

"I'll get him." Sasuke mutters, then his eyes change back into their normal state. "I'm going back to the Hidden Rain, to kill every last Akatsuki member I find and rip Madara Uchiha's heart from his chest."

_Wow._

Sasuke's bold statement surprises Naruto and Shino, I can see it in their body language and I share in the emotion as Sasuke scans his gaze over the three of us, searching for a voice of dissent.

"You're strong tadpole, but you aren't that strong." Fukasaku says simply. "You can't do that alone, and if you go now it would only play into their hands."

Sasuke looks at the Toad Elder, a mix of resolution and anger in his eyes.

"I'm going, one way or another." Sasuke says with absolute conviction in his voice.

_Well, we could try and stop him, but he'd end up either injuring or killing us for our trouble, especially now that he has that weird dojutsu._

I look to Naruto and Shino, trying to assess what they're both thinking from their body language.

_Naruto isn't about to let this happen and he'll fight Sasuke if that's what it takes to keep him from going. Shino on the other hand is surprised, but I doubt he's willing to risk harm to himself or his kikai to try and stop Sasuke. _

"I don't want any of you with me." Sasuke explains to us. "This is personal now, and I'll end it myself or die trying."

"You can't be serious!" Naruto protests, taking a step toward Sasuke, looking him in the eyes. "They'll kill you or worse."

_What exactly could be worse than dying, I don't know._

"I'm going to do this, and if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to stop you." Sasuke declares his intentions.

Naruto looks Sasuke in the eyes, and Sasuke returns his look, meeting Naruto's gaze evenly, and not backing down.

_Oh no, don't let them fight again._

Naruto looks into Sasuke's eyes for a second long heartbeat, and then nods, stepping back and extending his hand.

"Come back." Naruto says simply.

Sasuke continues to meet Naruto's gaze.

"I will." Sasuke says, nodding.

Sasuke grasps Naruto's arm at the forearm, and Naruto does the same to Sasuke. They grip each other's forearms firmly, and then they release each other's arms, with Naruto stepping back next to me, a sign of respect from one shinobi to another.

Sasuke reaches up to his forehead, and his hands go behind his head, undoing the headband. Sasuke folds his headband up neatly, and then looks at it wistfully, smiling at the metal plate on the headband before he raises his gaze, his eyes looking to me before he steps forward.

Naruto tenses, not knowing what Sasuke's about to do and Sasuke locks his gaze with mine.

"What is it?" I ask him, my nervousness creeping into my voice.

"I have a favor to ask." He begins, looking down at the headband before he looks back to me. "Please give this to Sakura, and tell her that I'll be back soon."

_He wants me to give his headband to Sakura? Does that mean he's finally opened his eyes to her feelings?_

Naruto looks stunned, obviously not expecting Sasuke's request. Shino merely pushes his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, intrigued by Sasuke's change of heart.

I don't let my relief show, keeping my face neutral while I nod my understanding to Sasuke, gingerly accepting the headband and slipping it into an unoccupied pouch.

Once I have the headband, Sasuke turns his head toward Fukasaku, walking toward the Toad Elder with resolution in his gait.

"Can you take me back to the Land of Rain?" Sasuke asks the Toad.

"If you're really serious…" Fukasaku trails, meeting Sasuke's gaze and realizing that he is the Toad Elder sighs in resignation. "I guess so."

At that the Toad Elder reaches into his robes and withdraws a rather large looking red hooded cloak that doesn't look like it should have been concealable on his relatively small form. He then throws it to Sasuke, who catches it in his hands.

"This is a cloak made from the skin of my slain ancestors." Fukasaku explains for him. "It'll keep you dry and it's as strong as steel."

Sasuke accepts the cloak and puts it on, pulling the hood up over his head. He adjusts the sword so that it runs along the length of his spine, and the sword itself sticks up behind his head, but not enough to prevent the hood from being raised. From under the hood, Sasuke looks to the three of us, resolution in his dark gaze.

"I'll put an end to all of this." Sasuke says simply.

"You ready?" Fukasaku asks.

Sasuke nods his understanding, and a moment later Sasuke and the Toad Elder disappear in a puff of smoke. With Fukasaku gone, Shino, Naruto and I are alone together with Gamatatsu. The small toad looks up at me, grinning happily.

"The old man will be back soon, don't worry." The little toad assures us. "Once he's back, he'll take you three back to your village."

"I can do it." I offer, and Gamatatsu shakes his head.

"Let the old man do it, you passed out last time." The little toad counters.

I nod, looking down in boredom, while Naruto looks around with wonder in his eyes.

"You know, it's really amazing that all of this here, I had no idea."

"I was training for nearly the entire time I was here; I never really thought that much about the scenery."

"These surroundings do not really suit me." Shino comments and Naruto grins.

"Yeah, toads do eat insects, don't they?" Naruto sarcastically asks.

_Good thing Shino knows that Naruto's only kidding with him._

"I've had to keep my Kikai well contained the entire time we're here to ensure that I don't suffer any unfortunate losses to my hive."

A few moments later, Fukasaku returns in a puff of smoke, using his scepter to wave the cloud away, clearing the smoke from around him.

"It's done. He's now on his own in the Land of Rain." Fukasaku confirms.

I glance to Naruto, and then Shino, my gaze questioning.

"Do you think it was really all right to let him go like that?" I ask.

"Sasuke wouldn't have let us go even if we wanted to." Naruto says.

"Our former leader was rather resolute in his conviction to avenge his family." Shino comments.

_He is. In him I saw the same anger I saw in the Kyuubi, it's the same kind of all encompassing rage that would drive a person to do anything to accomplish what he's set out to do. _

"Well, what's our next move?" Naruto asks.

"We need to get back to Konoha." I speak up, and both of them agree.

"I'll take you back." Fukasaku offers.

We all nod our agreement, and then the proverbial light bulb seems to go off in Fukasaku's head.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Fukasaku mutters.

The Toad Elder hops into one of the caves, and after a moment emerges holding a scroll similar to the one Jiraiya always has.

"You forgot this the last time you were here." Fukasaku says, handing the scroll to me.

I look at the scroll for a long moment and Naruto has a questioning expression on his face.

"What is it?" Naruto asks, looking at the scroll.

"It's a Toad Summoning Contract." Fukasaku says. "It also contains the formulas for the Sage ninjutsu. This is yours now Hinata. You should carry it as a mark of what you've accomplished."

I shake my head in denial.

"I'm not the Toad Sage; I'm not as powerful as Jiraiya or Tsunade."

Standing the scroll on one end, the Toad nods.

"You're right. You're actually stronger than Jiraiya is, though I don't understand why you refuse to admit it. You've not only mastered the Sage Mode, but also all the Toad Ninjutsu that I taught to Jiraiya."

I glance to my friends, seeing Naruto's surprised expression, and I'm not surprised when I see Shino still maintaining his seemingly unshakeable calmness.

"Why won't you accept what you've become?" Fukasaku probes and I look down, avoiding Fukasaku's gaze.

"I don't want to change." I finally admit to him. "I have a family, the love of someone special to me, and people I care about. I don't want to have to start living like Jiraiya and Tsunade, keeping everyone at arm's distance and not letting anyone get close, always alone." I explain to him. "I know what it's like to be alone, and I've seen what being at that level does to you. Jiraiya and Tsunade are in love with each other, and they're both too scared to admit it because they're afraid to care. I don't want to be like that, I want to be free to love and be loved."

Fukasaku shakes his head in disgust.

"I don't think you'll turn out like Jiraiya and Tsunade." Naruto offers. "Both of them grew up in turbulent times, and they've allowed their skills and what's happened to them to define who they are. I've had to deal with that every day, no matter where I went or who I socialized with, people kept seeing me as the son of the Hokage, like to be revered when I'm just a person. Dad is the same way, everyone respects and reveres him, but the reason he loves mom so much is because she never thought of him as anyone else other than Minato Namikaze." He continues. "I have friends now, and I'd fight and die for them, and I'm sure that they'd do the same for me."

He stops there, and his gaze tells me that he might've said more than he wants to, when Shino places his right hand on my left shoulder. Looking over my left shoulder at him, Shino looks at me from behind his dark sunglasses.

"I believe what Naruto means to say is you are the one who decides who you are and whether or not your status will affect you, no one else can decide that for you."

Naruto blushes, nodding and scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah." Naruto says with his embarrassment obvious.

Taking their words to heart, I remember all the time I've spent with the Namikazes, how normal they are behind closed doors.

_They haven't let their jobs affect them, and if they can do it, so can I!_

With that thought in mind, I look toward Fukasaku, holding out my right hand.

"I'll take the scroll, and the title of Sage!" I adamantly shout.

The Toad Elder grins mischievously.

"I knew you had it in you!"

Naruto grins happily and Shino pushes his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

_I wonder how everyone will react when they see me now?_


	32. Chapter 32 The Eve of War

(Well, this is Chapter 32. Wow, 32 Chapters… Who ever thought things would go this far or be this long? Anyway, seems like reader response has died down recently, and this chap is a bit of build up to the events of the next chapter. The title is a suggestion by my Beta, and he did a good job of turning this around, so a big thank you goes out to Blinkin. Anyway, enjoy the chap, and leave some words of thanks/hatred if you want.)

Chapter 32: On the Eve of War

_POP!_

The smells of the Hokage Tower fill my nostrils as Fukasaku reverse summons Naruto, Shino and I back to Konoha, more precisely the lobby. As the smoke clears, I take note that the other shinobi in the lobby have all stopped and are staring, looking at the cloud of smoke akin to a summoning jutsu.

I now wear a Toad Summoning Contract scroll around my neck like Jiraiya and in addition to that I have a purple haori beneath the rope that holds the scroll. Dark blue flames line the bottom of the haori, and the symbol for 'Sage' is written on the back of the robe between my shoulder blades surrounded by a diamond.

"I'll be going now." Fukasaku says, and then disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto, Shino and I alone.

I glance around, and it's obvious that the shinobi in the lobby are wondering just who we are and what we're doing here.

"We should head up." Naruto says, and I nod my agreement.

The three of us head toward and start up the steps, heading toward Minato's office to deliver the results of our obviously failed mission.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"_You did what?!_" Minato roars in anger from behind his desk.

I cringe in response to Minato's outburst, the man standing up and slamming his fists on his desk, his teeth grinding in anger.

"Well, we really didn't have a choice." I try to explain to him. "Sasuke wouldn't have let us stop him, he wouldn't have taken no for an answer."

"Sasuke is a Jounin, a_ full Jounin!_" Minato responds, sitting down again. "We don't have any to spare, and you just let one walk away."

"Dad, you're not really being fair." Naruto says, and Minato shoots him a look, and I can tell that Minato doesn't want to hear his son's argument.

"It would have been foolish for us to attempt to stop him." Shino pipes up, his voice even. "If Sasuke truly possess all the powers his older brother displayed in addition to the powers he already possessed, it would've been suicide. So rather than waste our lives in a futile attempt to stop Sasuke Uchiha, we returned to Konoha with this information."

Minato sighs, seeing Shino's logic, but it's obvious that he doesn't like it. His face looks like he's just heard the worst news he could possibly hear.

"There's something else going on, something that has to do with Sasuke." I speak up. "Pain said he was ordered to attack us and intentionally remove Sasuke's eyes, and he could've attacked me and tried to capture the Kyuubi, but he didn't. I believe that the true leader of Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha has plans for Sasuke, and he wanted Sasuke to have an eye transplant."

"But what would the point be?" Minato asks. "If he really is the same Madara then he probably already has the 'Perfect Mangekyo Sharingan' or whatever it is. What would he need with two of them?"

"Maybe he still wants to destroy Konoha." I offer my opinion. "It would be a lot easier to do that with two Uchiha instead of one, or maybe he has some jutsu that requires two fully evolved Sharingan to perform…" I trail off, my tone of voice saying that I'm just guessing.

Naruto shakes his head.

"Sasuke was headed to the Land of Rain ready to kill everything in his way. He isn't going to listen to what anyone has to say, even Madara Uchiha." Naruto says.

"But what chance would Sasuke have against an immortal that has had lifetimes to master his Sharingan?" Shino points out.

"Or maybe Madara has some jutsu or something that lets him manipulate other Uchiha."

Minato sighs, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"I'll have to call a council of war." He mutters.

_ A council of war?_

At first, the only thing I can do is stare at Minato after what he just said, and when I look to Naruto and Shino, I see the expression mirrored in their faces as well.

_A council of war is the beginning of a war. The council meets, devising a plan of attack and then approves the resolution to actually commit Konoha's shinobi to war. If Minato calls one, then it will only be a matter of time before blood starts flowing, and nations go to war again._

"Do you really plan to go to war with the Hidden Rain, all over Akatsuki?"

"I don't have a choice." Minato says in a firm tone. "We have to annihilate Akatsuki, and all who shelter them, and if the Hidden Rain chooses to shelter those criminals, then they'll have to be annihilated too, once and for all."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I lean against the window in my bedroom at the Hokage manor. Night has fallen, and it's my first night back since I left on the mission to escort the dignitary back to the Land of Rain. The night air wafts into my bedroom through the open window, the chirps of crickets the only sound coming in through the window. The night air is a little chilly, but I don't feel it wearing the pajamas.

_A council of war…that can only mean a full on invasion of the Hidden Rain by Konoha. If we do that, the other nations will only see it as an attempt to gain power and territory, and no doubt they'll either back the Hidden Rain or join in attacking and try to split the Hidden Rain up after the end of the war._

_The Hidden Rain has always acted as a buffer zone between three of the five Great Nations. If Konoha conquers it, it will put our borders directly up against their borders. They won't just sit idly by._

I shake my head, putting the depressing thoughts out of my mind.

"It figures." I mutter to myself dryly. "I take on the mantle of Sage, and then Konoha goes to war."

_BUUUUZZZZ…_

The sound of an insects buzz catches my attention, and I look to see one of Shino's kikai flying toward me, zipping left and right in front of my face. Then it dips up and down, and I look down to see Shino standing in the street outside the gate of the Hokage Manor. I nod toward him, acknowledging that I see him, and I use hand signals to tell him that I'll be down in a few minutes. The kikai zips out of the window, and I close it, latching it closed. I quickly change into my mission clothes, and my hand hovers over the haori, the contract scroll sitting in a corner.

_If I wear this, it'll mark me as a Sage. Am I _really_ worthy of that?_

For a moment I just stand there and look at the haori, and then I shake my head.

_He wouldn't have given it to me unless he thought I deserved it, so cut the self depreciation and wear the thing! _

I slip the robe on, feeling it settle on my shoulders before I walk to the window and unlatch it, jumping out toward Shino. I slide down the slanted roof to the end and then I leap over the wall of the manor to come to a landing in the street. I bend my knees to absorb the impact of the landing, and within seconds Shino is at my side.

"It's good to see you wearing the robe given to you by Fukasaku." Shino points out, nodding toward the haori. "The old you would've never considered wearing it."

"I've changed since then." I tell him, standing up straight.

"Agreed, though I must admit that I never foresaw that things would turn like they have."

"So what's up?" I ask. "It isn't like you to come visit me at this hour of the night just to make talk."

"Recent events have caused me to step back and reevaluate my priorities on several important issues, and I've come to the conclusion that I know very little about the female species other than what I've observed through watching the kikai and what I've read in books. Though I realize that the human female can be infinitely more complicated than any other species."

_So, he wants to talk to him about what girls are thinking about?_

"Um, I don't really understand what you're asking me for."

"I wish to borrow your uncanny powers of observation for a short time."

_He wants me to spy on someone for him?_

"And why do you want to do that?"

"I have located a female with which I would like to pursue a relationship, but I am unsure due to our limited interactions whether or not she already possesses a fiancée or a significant other or is even interested in one."

"So, you want me to look into someone for you." I simplify his statement.

"Basically yes." He says with a nod.

I slip my hands into my pockets, a grin spreading across my features.

"So, who's the lucky girl?"

"She works at a pet store in the village, and appears to have an interest in insect biology."

"What's her name?"

"Her name is Fumiko Kashiwagi, and she lives in a rather humble home in the residential area of the village."

"How old is she?"

"She is of similar age to us, though she has not pursued a career as a shinobi and has shown very little talent for ninjutsu."

"All right." I say with a nod. "Lead the way, and I'll look into her for you."

"Thank you, Hinata."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Using my Byakugan, I now look into Fumiko Kashiwagi's bedroom. She has long brown hair with dark eyes. She wears white pajamas, and she sits at a desk, writing to what I can only assume is a dairy. For decoration, there is a calendar on the wall, alongside several posters of young male movie stars in provocative poses. On the back of the desk against the wall, a well taken care of ant farm.

"There's a calendar, and even an ant farm." I report to Shino. "She's writing in her dairy, right now."

As she writes, I begin to read, following the movements of her pen using my Byakugan.

_She's writing about her day. She's writing about when she was working at the store. She's writing that an Aburame came into the story for supplies. She's writing that she found herself staring at him. She's writing that she's always been curious about them, but they're very protective of their ways, and the one in the store today was cute. When he paid he seemed very flustered about something, and when he paid he asked if he had done something wrong. I almost died inside when I realized that he saw me watching him and misread my looking at him. _

She keeps writing, but I pull back my gaze, the veins around my eyes fading back into my face. I look to my right, smiling at Shino. The two of us kneel on a tree branch across the street from her home. I reach out and pat my teammate on the shoulder reassuringly.

"She's interested in you, and she doesn't have a boyfriend." I assuage Shino.

He nods, slipping his hands into his pockets as he stands up straight.

"I'll walk you back to the manor." Shino offers.

"All right." I agree.

The two of us leave our hiding spot in the tree and make our way to the streets.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

As I enter the Hokage manor, both Kushina and Minato are nowhere to be found. It's easy enough for me to figure out that Naruto is the only one home, and when I walk past the living area, Naruto is sitting on the sofa in his pajamas. He has the remote for the TV in hand, and he's looking at the TV with a blank expression as he flips through the channels.

I quietly walk up behind him, and I reach out, gingerly touching Naruto on his right shoulder.

Naruto practically jumps to the moon in surprise, his head spinning around to locate the person who touched him. Upon seeing me he relaxes, his shoulders slouching and his eyes getting calm.

"Oh, it's just you Hina-hime."

I give an offended look.

"_Just me?_" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. "I didn't know I was boring to you!"

Naruto's eyes soften, and he shakes his head.

"No! That's not what I meant." He pleads with me. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that!"

I look to him to gauge his reaction, seeing his face contorted in a pleading expression I know that he didn't mean to try and slight me. He's just worried about everything that's going on and why his parents aren't home.

I giggle at his reaction, slipping the scroll off before I sit down on the sofa next to him.

"I know." I assure him, patting him on his thigh, giving him a smile. "You're just worried about Sasuke, and what's going to happen with a council of war being held."

He nods, a solemn air forming around him.

"I don't want to have to kill Sasuke." Naruto admits to me. "He's a comrade, and even though we were always competing back in the academy, I felt like he was a good guy deep down, but now that he's run off to try and kill the entire Akatsuki organization when even his older brother couldn't do it."

"I wouldn't worry too much about Sasuke." I offer my opinion. "He's got all the power Itachi had combined with his own, he's practically unbeatable."

"I can only hope so."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning, Naruto and I walk down one of the many streets of the village. I wear my sage garb, the scroll and haori while Naruto wears his normal mission gear. The people of the village look at me differently now. Before their eyes would be filled with scorn and hatred, now they look at me with surprise, and some of the older villagers with downright shock, the general opinion of many of them is 'how in the world did she become a Toad Sage like Jiraiya?'

"Awwwwwww…" Naruto yawns tiredly. "What could Shino _possibly_ want at _this_ time of day?" Naruto asks, shaking his head slowly to try and clear the grogginess from his eyes.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't have any idea Naru-kun."

_I suspect that this probably has something to do with what we did last night. He asked me to look in on that girl for him, and then the next morning calls and asks the both of us if we'll come out a meet him. _

Naruto seems relatively carefree but with what happened last night fresh in my mind I know that he's really stuck on the situation with the Land of Rain, in spite of my best efforts to cheer him up.

_This is why I fight, why I've struggled. Even though we could very well ship off to war tomorrow, right now the shinobi of our village not on duty can relax and live their lives relatively carefree, including Naruto and me. _

"Oh! There's Shino!" Naruto proclaims.

I nearly jump in surprise at seeing Shino standing beneath a tree. He has his hands in the pockets of his jacket, a relaxed air around him while a small cloud of what I presume are kikai buzz above him.

Both Naruto and I approach him, and he notices us almost immediately. The small swarm of kikai flies back into the collar of his jacket, and I suppress an outward shudder of disgust.

_I'm still not used to seeing that, no matter how many times I see his kikai go into jacket I always feel like something is crawling on my _own_ skin. I can't even begin to imagine how it _does_ feel to actually have kikai crawling all over your skin like that._

"Good morning Naruto, Hinata." Shino greets us both.

"'Morning Shino." Naruto greets him.

"Good morning." I greet him.

"You both must be curious as to why I've asked both of you out here this early in the morning." Shino says.

Naruto shrugs his shoulders.

"Eh, you've got your reason." Naruto simply says, and I nod my agreement.

Shino reaches up with his left hand; balling it into a fist he clears his throat into his left hand.

"I wish to inquire for your assistance in selecting the proper attire and setting for a date with a potential significant other." Shino proclaims his intentions.

Naruto looks surprised, like he doesn't believe what he just heard Shino say. He reaches up with his left hand, sticking his pinky in his ear in an exaggerated motion to clear out his ear before he repeats the action with his right hand in his right ear.

"Did I hear you correctly Shino?" Naruto asks in disbelief.

"There's nothing wrong with your hearing Naruto." Shino calmly explains. "I wish to hear your advice on the proper attire and setting for a date with a girl."

Naruto nods in acceptance.

"That's what I thought I heard." Naruto says. "I'll offer what advice I can."

"I will too." I speak up. "Why didn't you just ask your mother?"

Shino pushes his sunglasses up with his ring finger.

"My mother is rather unique in her tastes, thus the source would be slightly biased and far from what many would consider 'normal.'"

Naruto puts his hands behind his head, interlacing his fingers behind his head.

"Lead the way." Naruto tells him. "We'll help as much as we can."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ten minutes later Shino, Naruto and I are all in a clothing shop. Shino and I are looking at a rack of more traditional formal attire rather than the more modern clothes like Naruto, Shino and I wear on our missions and around the village.

I turn to Shino, my hand on the metal rack above the group of formal robes.

"Are you taking her some place modern or somewhere more formal?" I inquire.

"I merely inquired about a date to the movies." Shino explains.

I nod my understanding, walking away from the rack of formal robes and walking toward the more modern section of the store, the clothes a stark contrast to what we were looking at before. Shino follows me, and Naruto follows him.

"Does anything on the rack catch your eye?" I ask.

Shino shrugs his shoulders.

"I have no preference." He says flatly.

I sigh lightly.

_It's no wonder he asked Naruto and me to come along. _

I select a deep red t shirt and a pair of navy blue pants from the rack, holding them out for Shino.

"Here, try these on." I offer to him.

He nods, taking the clothes from me before he walks to one of the changing rooms. He goes into one of the empty rooms, and both Naruto and I take a position outside the room, waiting patiently for Shino to emerge. With Shino inside I look to Naruto and his eyes have a far off gaze in them, as though his mind is somewhere else entirely.

_He's probably bored out of his mind, and with what's happening with the Land of Rain, he probably can't get it off his mind. After all, the leader of the group that we're fighting was able to manipulate the Kyuubi into attacking the village, forcing my father to sacrifice himself to seal it within me. _

I poke Naruto in the ribs, and he practically jumps through the roof in surprise. I stifle a giggle, forcing myself not to laugh out loud at him.

"What's on your mind?" I ask him. "You've hardly said anything since we met Shino."

He shrugs his shoulders, having gotten a hold of his emotions after I poked him.

"You seemed to have everything well in hand, so I didn't say anything, and with nothing to do I started thinking about Sasuke and Akatsuki, and how I feel guilty for standing here helping my friend pick out clothes for a date when I could be out doing something."

"Well, it's nice that you feel concerned, but you have to remember that you can't be wound up all the time. It's important to take what free time you have and relax, because we don't know when we might have to go out on a mission."

"I guess so." Naruto hesitantly agrees with a shrug.

It's then that the changing room door opens, and Shino emerges wearing the shirt and pants I selected for him along with his shoes and sunglasses. He looks different without the dark pants and the gray coat, somehow oddly smaller without the jacket. He has his hands at his sides, and he looks at both of us, and I can tell he's uncomfortable in the new clothes.

"I feel…strange without my jacket." Shino speaks up. "It's much harder for me to conceal my kikai without it."

I look him up and down.

"Well, I think you look nice, but you should wear what makes you comfortable, not what you think you have to wear."

He nods once, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"It would be better if I wore comfortable clothing." Shino responds.

"If that's what you think then go for it!" I encourage him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ten minutes later the three of us emerge from the store. After Shino went back into the dressing room and got back into his normal clothes he politely returned the clothes to the rack and thanked the saleswoman.

_That woman probably took the clothes Shino tried on and searched them inside out looking for bugs, but she probably won't find anything. _

Shino stops once we're in away from the store but out of the way, turning around to face both Naruto and me.

"Thank you both for your time." Shino says, lightly bowing to both of us before he looks directly at Naruto. "You should listen to Hinata, Naruto. Many times shinobi have died due to exhaustion, both physical _and_ mental, so it's important to relax whenever possible."

A look of realization settles onto Naruto's features.

"So, you heard us huh?" He asks, only half surprised.

Shino nods his agreement.

"I intentionally scheduled this date for tonight because I do not know what tomorrow may bring, and I feel that's the way we should look at things. Tomorrow our village could very well go to war, and we may not get a chance to spend time with those we care about for some time." Shino explains.

Naruto nods, taking Shino's words to heart.

"I doubt that Minato-sama will start a war, but for now it's all in his hands. All we can do is relax and rest up, and be ready when the call comes."

"Yeah." Naruto agrees, and Shino looks at his left arm, checking his watch.

"I have one hour until the predetermined meeting time." Shino speaks up.

"Just act naturally and go with the flow." I advise him. "If it's meant to be, it'll happen."

"I understand." Shino agrees.

Naruto walks up next to Shino, and then lightly slaps him on his left right shoulder in encouragement.

"You'll do fine." Naruto assuages.

"Thank you again for your time." Shino says again.

"Good luck." Naruto says, and at that Shino walks away leaving Naruto and I alone together.

"Well, what should we do now?" Naruto asks.

"How about going to a movie?" I suggest. "It'll be an easy way to relax and we haven't done it in a while."

"It'll help take my mind off things." Naruto says with a nod.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Six hours later Naruto and I emerge from the movie theater. He wears a grin on his face, and I can tell that he enjoyed the movie marathon. Both of the movies were martial arts action movies, lots of buff guys with their shirts off yelling and punching and kicking each other along with a lot of special effects.

_Not that I mind looking at men with their shirts off._

"Ah! Naruto-kun! Hinata-chan!" A familiar voice comes from behind us.

Naruto practically jumps in surprise, and I recognize the voice.

_Rock Lee, and that means…_

"Lee!" Maito Gai exclaims in his usual exuberant style.

I look over my shoulder to see both Gai and Lee standing behind us in their normal gear. They both must've been in the movie theater as well.

_They're both martial arts nuts, they both __**would**__ attend a martial arts movie marathon._

"Gai-sensei! Lee! What a surprise!" I greet both of them.

Gai flashes one of his 'sparkling' smiles, and Lee does the same, both of them giving Naruto and I a thumb up.

"Ah, the explosive power of youth!" Gai says, looking straight at me and the Sage haori I wear. "To hear that you've become a Toad Sage like Jiraiya of the Sannin! It's refreshing to see the flower of your youth bloom into what stands before me!"

_Uh, that's a compliment, I think._

"Thank you…?"

He grins, missing the questioning tone to my voice.

"AH! You understand the power of youth!" Gai pushes, his grin getting wider.

"Uh, you guys came to see the movie too?" Naruto asks, changing the subject.

"Yes Naruto-kun!" Lee answers with the same exuberance as his teacher.

"What did you think of the movies?" I ask, wanting to change the subject away from my newfound status.

"They were both classics!" Gai agrees, and Lee nods his approval.

"Yes! Saito-sama is an excellent martial artist!" Lee agrees.

_Saito being a reference to the lead in _both_ movies, considered by many to be a modern legend among action movie stars._

"I'm not such a huge fan of Saito-sama, but he seems like he's competent." I speak up.

Both Gai and Lee focus on me.

"Saito-sama is a master of five different forms of martial arts! A true master that any martial artist would be honored to study under! Except for maybe Gai-sensei." Lee argues.

"Now Lee." Gai begins in a calm voice. "I'm not the greatest martial artist in the world, and even Saito-sama has room for improvement, we all do." He reminds Lee.

"Yes!" Lee empathically agrees. "We must never stop training our minds and our bodies!"

"Correct Lee! Now, we run five laps around Konoha, on our hands!" Gai proclaims.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!"

They both go into a handstand, balancing perfectly on their hands thanks to years of practice.

"Good evening to you both." Gai says on his hands, looking up at Naruto and then me.

"Good evening!" Lee says in farewell as well.

"Good night." I wish them both well. "Enjoy your run around Konoha."

"Ditto." Naruto agrees, waving good bye to them.

At that, both Gai and Lee start off on their obligatory run around Konoha on their hands. Once Gai and Lee are out of earshot, Naruto looks at me with a skeptical look on his face.

"I honestly think that wearing all that green looses a couple of screws in their brains." Naruto says, and I shake my head.

"Gai lives a lifestyle he's chosen, and Lee chose to follow in his footsteps." I counter Naruto's accusation of insanity. "They may look odd to us, but everything they do has a benefit, every self imposed challenge makes them stronger in the end, just like the weights you wear make you faster when you take them off."

He nods hesitantly.

"I guess so; they both seem so strange though."

I smile, grabbing ahold of his right arm and moving right next to him.

"I'll give you odd." I admit with a giggle, and he cracks a grin.

"Wanna grab a bite?"

"Sure!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An hour and a half later Naruto and I sit at a bench in a park. After dinner we sort of just drifted to this park, where we are both sitting, enjoying the cool night air, the sounds of crickets one of the only sounds around. Naruto and I sit next to each other, his arm around me, and I lean on his shoulder, feeling comfortable next to him. Sitting there, I can honestly say that I'd be content if I never have to move.

"Comfortable?" Naruto asks, knowing the answer to the question before he even asks.

"Uh-huh." I answer, nuzzling against his shoulder.

"You wanna go home?"

"Not especially. I like it just where I am."

Naruto grins.

"It's nice to hear that, but my arm's kinda fallen asleep, and we really should go home."

_I've had a really nice day, and I think I know what will make his day get a lot better._

I move my head to his right ear, lowering my voice to a sultry whisper.

"When we get home, we can shower together…if you want." I add a hint of sensuality to my voice, knowing it will press his buttons.

As expected, Naruto's eyes practically double in size as he registers what I just said. I pull back and he looks at me questioningly. I put on a seductive smile for him, touching my lower lip with my pointer finger.

_It's so easy to get him thinking about that._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An hour later I lie on my bed with a moist towel wrapped around my body. I feel tingly all over, enjoying the afterglow.

_The shared shower was a great idea, and it felt _really_ good. _

Once we were both finished, though Naruto finished twice in the time it took me to finish once, he went back to his room to actually dry off and get dressed while I did a quick clean up before I lied down on my bed.

_We're lucky that either Kushina or Minato aren't home. If either of them were home…_

I don't bother following that thought to its obvious conclusion.

_I'll deal with that problem if and when it comes up, until then all that matters it they aren't home. Though if I don't get dressed it'll look suspicious if they do come home before we both go to sleep for the night._

I get up off the bed, using the towel to dry myself off before I get into my pajamas, the silk soft and supple against my skin.

_I wonder if Naruto feels like this after we're together. _

I sigh, lying back down on the bed again, letting myself feel content as I lie on the soft bed.

I hear the sound of the front door opening and closing, the entire house subtly shifting as a result of someone entering through the door.

"I'm home!" Kushina yells from the front door.

I get up off the bed, moving to the door when I hear footsteps go running by, presumably Naruto's. I open the door and I poke my head out to see Naruto in his yellow pajamas round the top of the steps and go down the steps. I quickly follow him through the house, and I know exactly what Naruto is looking for.

_He's probably looking for some kind of verdict on whether or not Konoha goes to war tomorrow._

Once I'm down the steps I turn toward the door, seeing Naruto already in front of Kushina, looking at her with a hopeful air around him. Kushina has just taken her shoes off, putting her shoes down near the door.

"Naruto, Hinata." She greets both of us. "It's rather odd to see you both come to greet me when I get home." She perceives.

"Has there been a decision on whether or not we're going to war?" Naruto asks.

Kushina sighs, shaking her head slowly.

"The village council isn't going to make a decision right away, not unless a full on attack was committed by a foreign nation."

Naruto sighs in resignation.

"Basically nothing's been decided yet." Naruto says, and Kushina nods, smiling wearily.

"You know how the bureaucracy works Naruto." She reminds him. "Nothing happens right away without public outcry."

_Yeah, and for a public outcry to occur, something would have to happen that affects nearly every citizen of Konoha. _

"I know." Naruto answers, shaking his head before he turns around and walks toward me, walking past me with his eyes deep in thought.

_He's probably worried about Sasuke. Even though Naruto and Sasuke never saw eye to eye they're both still shinobi of Konoha. I guess everything we did tonight wasn't much of a distraction._

_I wonder if he'd be willing to lay his life down to 'save' Sasuke, and would I resent Sasuke for it? _

I shake my head, clearing my mind of the aberrant thoughts.

_For now I should just focus on getting some sleep. Tomorrow Naruto and I will work out together, and I'll even practice the Sage Mode sparring with him, _that_ should give him a challenge for his Flash Mode._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning Naruto and I stand next to one another outside the Hokage manor. Kushina woke early, though not quite as early as I did.

_I had to get a head start on making the bento and the jasmine tea in our backpacks._

Kushina, Naruto and I all ate an early breakfast, and once she finished eating she was out the door. Minato never came back last night.

_He's probably busy working with the council. That isn't really surprising considering the state of the village._

Naruto and I leave the Hokage manor, a training ground our ultimate destination.

"I wonder how Shino's date went last night." Naruto speaks up.

"Kashiwagi-san is probably one of the better girls for Shino." I offer my opinion.

Naruto looks at me with a puzzled expression.

"How do you know what she's like?" He asks quizzically.

"Shino asked me to look in on her for him, so we went to her house late last night and I used my Byakugan to check up on her."

"You mean you _spied_ on her." Naruto says with a tone of accusation.

I shake my head no.

"We didn't spy on her!" I argue. "He just wanted me to look in on her, and I didn't look too deeply."

"Just don't do it anymore." Naruto says, shaking his head. "I'll let it go this time, but it really is wrong to 'look in' on people with your eyes like that."

I nod, bowing my head in shame.

"I know Naruto, but I didn't mean to do any harm."

Naruto grins and I feel his arm slip onto my shoulders.

"I know, I just never thought Shino had it in him to be interested in women." He says in a casual tone.

"What's important is she's a good person, and she'll treat Shino properly."

Naruto nods, the two of us walking toward the gate of the Hokage manor. Naruto opens the gate, pulling it in to reveal a person standing on the other side.

The person is our age, with long pink hair with a red headband tied into her hair like a hair band. She wears a red sleeveless blouse and a pair of black spandex shorts that come down to her mid thigh. She wears normal ninja sandals and has a chain across her developed chest, the hooked end of a kusarigama hung in the chain, the tip secure in the chain. I immediately recognize her.

_Sakura Haruno._

She stands with her hand extended and balled into a fist, as though she is going to knock on the gate to the Hokage manor. She has a worried expression on her face. Surprise passes on Naruto's face, there and gone in a moment.

"Sakura-chan." He says in greeting.

"Namikaze-san, Hinata-san." She greets both of us, her tone saturated with worry.

_She must be here to ask about Sasuke, it's practically written all over her face._

"Sakura-san." I return the greeting, bowing my head.

"What brings you here at this time in the morning?" Naruto casually asks with a light tone.

"I don't have a lot of time." Sakura begins. "I want to talk about Sasuke."

Naruto's face shifts in recognition, and he gains a solemn expression.

"Oh." He says with guilt in his voice.

Sakura looks at Naruto, and then to me with desperation in her eyes.

"He didn't come back with you, and no one will tell me anything about where he is or what happened to him. A Chunin came to my home yesterday to deliver his headband, but he wouldn't tell me anything!" She finishes with desperation in her voice.

_It's a damn shame that her feelings of worry are wasted on self centered Sasuke. _

"Is he dead?" Sakura continues, and I shake my head no.

"He isn't dead, and he isn't hurt." I answer her.

"Where is he then?" Sakura asks again.

Naruto opens his mouth to answer, and then closes it again, thinking better of saying something to Sakura. Sakura looks at him and then to me with a pleading expression in her eyes.

I sigh in exasperation, shaking my head in disgust.

"Sasuke left our team, and he went to the Land of Rain." I answer Sakura's question.

"You left him there?" Sakura asks.

"No." I answer her. "We escaped the Land of Rain as a team, but afterward before we came back to the village Sasuke learned something that compelled him to return to the Land of Rain, and the three of us couldn't stop him without being forced to kill him."

"What did he learn?" Sakura asks.

Naruto and I look to each other in questioning, and I can tell that Naruto is thinking the same question I am.

_Should we tell her something that could easily be highly classified and controlled information?_

Sakura sighs, as though she knows what we're going to say.

"It's something about Itachi, isn't it?" She asks.

Looking at Naruto, I see surprise on his face, and I have to admit that I'm surprised at Sakura's intuition. I look back to Sakura to see her put her hands together on her chest, looking down at the ground with a somber expression as she speaks, remembering something depressing from the past.

"Sasuke would talk after we were intimate, and he'd talk about his older brother and how he'd kill him to avenge his parents and everyone in the clan he killed." She explains.

I look to Naruto, and I can see the carefully concealed indecision in his eyes hidden behind a mask of sympathy on his face. I look back toward Sakura.

"He went to the Land of Rain because he learned someone was pulling Itachi's strings and made him do the bad things he did, and Sasuke has gone to kill him."

Sakura looks appalled at what I've just said.

"Sasuke was bound and determined to do what he wanted and if the three of us stood in his way then we would've been killed trying to stop him." I explain.

Sakura glares at me with sudden vehemence.

"_So you just let him go?_" Sakura demands in anger, pointing her finger at me. "You're a student of _both_ of the Sannin! You couldn't stop him even _with_ the Son of the Fourth Hokage and an Aburame?" She demands from both of us, and I avoid her accusing eyes. "You're nothing but a manipulative whore! You didn't try to stop Sasuke to get to me! It's because your precious Naruto liked me when we were in the academy and you've _always_ resented me for it! You _let_ him go because you knew it would make me unhappy, and I bet that deep down you're reveling in my loneliness, _exactly like a Demon Fox girl would!"_

Naruto lets out a gasp of surprise at what Sakura's just said, and Sakura's eyes go wide in surprise at what she let slip as her senses come back to her. Silence falls over us at what she just said, and Sakura opens her mouth to say something, anything.

"I'm…" She begins, trying to apologize.

"Shut up." I say a dead pan voice, and it isn't a request with a mountain of bloodlust in my voice.

Without another word and an air of brooding I walk around Sakura, using all my willpower not to reach out and wring her neck for what she's just said.

_She only said that because of the heat of the moment, she didn't really mean it._

_SLAP THE SHIT OUT OF HER! DO IT! DO IT! _DO IT_! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! HIT HER SO HARD THAT HER GRANDCHILDREN WILL FEEL IT!_

"Hinata, wait!" Naruto calls out when I'm three steps past Sakura. "I'll talk to you later." He says in a growl, and I look over my right shoulder to see him glaring at Sakura.

Naruto moves to go around her, and I jump into the tree, not wanting to him to see me like I am.

"Wait!" Naruto calls out, but I don't listen.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I sit on a tree branch, my legs bent at the knees near my chest, my arms wrapped around my legs. I'm currently using a jutsu invented by Jiraiya that he taught to me during my time away, it makes me practically invisible. Tears no doubt stain my cheeks, a sign that I've been crying, and the impact that the old memories still hold.

_It seems like it was just yesterday._

I remember hearing the voices of the villagers, the hushed whispers that they thought I couldn't hear.

_"She's a demon girl; she'll steal your children away in the night if you aren't careful." _One particularly hurtful memory whispers in my ear.

_"If you don't watch out, she'll eat your children and you, just like a demon would."_ Another memory whispers.

I remember the expression in their eyes, the look of absolute hatred, as though it would've been better if I just didn't exist.

There's a rustle of movement in the trees nearby, and I look to the source of the sound to see a familiar figure land on a nearby tree branch. A kikai silently hovers over Shino's head, his eyes panning slowly from left to right as he undoubtedly searches for me.

_Naruto must've gone to him and told him I ran off. It isn't really surprising he has me tagged with one of those scent producing female kikai bugs he's always talking about._

As if to prove me right, the kikai above him chitters and he looks directly at me from behind his sunglasses. I can almost hear him say 'I know you're there.'

_The jutsu doesn't stop smells, and that bug is probably telling him exactly where I am._

I undo the jutsu, the transparency technique falling away and revealing me sitting on my tree branch. Shino moves to the branch I sit on and quietly sits down in front of me, hanging his feet from the branch. The kikai buzzing around him flies down into his coat through his collar.

"Naruto is worried about you." He finally speaks. "After you disappeared he came straight to my home looking for me knowing that I would be able to locate you easier than even an Inuzuka."

"Did he tell you what happened?"

"Naruto explained everything." He says with a nod.

I look away from him then, feeling ashamed of the way I acted in front of Sakura.

_Like a stupid child, getting emotional like that and storming off in anger._

"You must be ashamed of me, for getting so worked up over something so…trivial."

"Harsh wounds inflicted over a long period of time often never fully heal." He says before reaching up and removing his sunglasses, showing me his dark eyes for the first time since I've met him. "Part of the reason our clan all wear sunglasses is because with them we never have to make eye contact with other people in the village, because people in the village view our clan and their practices in a negative way, though not as negatively as they do the Jinchuriki." Shino explains.

I nod my understanding of what Shino is trying to say.

"Have I ever looked at you like that?"

He shakes his head no, and then slips his sunglasses back on.

"Unfortunately the members of my clan all get so used to wearing the sunglasses by the time our self esteem is high enough to deal with the stares, we don't want to take them off."

I can't help but giggle at that, at the realization that Shino, my extremely serious friend just attempted making a joke to try and cheer me up.

"Plus, on the battlefield, it is a tactical advantage to have your eyes concealed, making it harder for your opponent to read your emotions." Shino continues.

I nod, slipping my legs off the branch so I sit like he is, placing my arms on either side of me on the branch.

"How'd your date with Fumiko-san go last night?" I ask.

He pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose with his left middle finger.

"My date went well. She was quite interested in our kikai and our abilities. She also seems to have a genuine interest in me and wants to get to know me better, and I wish to get to know her better as well."

I give him a happy smile.

"That's good to hear, I'm glad you found someone who will be good to you."

At that, I push myself forward and slide off the branch. I free fall for a half a second before my feet make contact with the ground, and I bend my knees to absorb the impact. Shino is a second behind me, landing in exactly the same manner as I did.

"Thanks for talking with me, Shino." I thank him.

"If you ever need to talk, I will always listen." Shino says.

"Thank you again." I thank him again, nodding to him. "But just so you know, if you ever need to talk, I'll listen."

With that, the two of us start back toward the village proper. Shino heads for his home, and I head back toward the Hokage manor, feeling better for having talked to Shino.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Not much later I approach the gate to the Hokage manor. The gate itself is very similar to the village gates, and appears unguarded. Though anyone dumb enough to assume that someone isn't watching would be making a foolish mistake.

_The ANBU are always watching this place like hawks. There's always a squad of shinobi keeping watch over the Hokage's residence, and when Minato is actually here the guards are even more vigilant. _

The gate to the manor opens, and a very worried looking Naruto Namikaze emerges from the gate, and upon seeing me he jogs toward me, wrapping me in his arms.

"How could you just run off like that? It was so stupid!" He scolds me, but I can tell in his voice he's relieved that I'm back.

"I'm sorry that I ran off." I apologize to him.

"Don't do it again!" He scolds me, still holding me in his warm embrace.

"I won't."

"You better not." He says again with more relief than anger in his voice.

At that he releases me from his arms, and I take a step back, looking around for Sakura.

"What happened to Sakura?" I ask, and Naruto gains a solemn expression.

"I sent her home. I told her she needs to think about what you're doing as the Jinchuriki, and why it's wrong to say things like what she said."

I nod in understanding.

"I need to go apologize to Sakura."

"Why? Sakura is the one who blew up at you and said something she shouldn't!"

"I could've handled it better rather than storming off like that."

Naruto shakes his head.

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it. For now we have a date to meet Fumiko and Shino."

_When did _that_ happen? Until a little while ago I was off missing, and he made plans with Shino to go on a double date?_

"When did that get arranged?"

"Fumiko asked Shino about it apparently." Naruto informs me. "Shino asked me about it when I went to his house to find him."

"I think I'd like that."

Naruto cracks one of his trademarked grins.

"I thought you would."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Twenty minutes later Naruto and I are together, walking toward a predetermined meeting spot with Fumiko and Shino. The two of them stand underneath one of the many trees in Konoha, both of them standing around an arm's length apart. Shino wears his normal ensemble, while Fumiko wears a white short sleeve blouse and a black skirt with a tear drop shaped pendant around her neck with blue open toed sandals. She's pretty, in a 'girl next door' way and I imagine in a few years she will be a stunning woman sought after by many of the so called 'nobles' in the village. Both Naruto and I wear our normal mission gear, including my Sage haori.

"Good afternoon Shino, Kashiwagi-san!" Naruto greets both of them.

Immediately Fumiko bows to Naruto humbly.

"It's nice to meet you, Honorable Son of the Fourth Hokage." Fumiko greets him.

Naruto grins uneasily, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Just call me Naruto, okay? No titles or honorifics please. They make me feel kinda uncomfortable."

Fumiko looks shocked a moment, and then nods in understanding.

"I understand, Naruto." She says, bowing to him again.

"Hello, Kashiwagi-san." I greet her.

Immediately she realizes that she completely ignored me. She bows in apology.

"Sorry that I did not greet you sooner." She apologizes. "You're Hinata Hyuga, correct?"

I nod, waving my hand dismissively.

"It's okay, I understand."

"Good afternoon, Hinata, Naruto." Shino greets us.

"Good afternoon Shino." I return the greeting.

"Nice seeing you Shino." Naruto returns his greeting.

For a moment no one says anything, and then Naruto is the one to break the ice.

"It's good to see that you both have hit it off so well." Naruto says casually.

"Shino-kun and I have similar interests, so we have a lot to talk about, though I had no idea until yesterday that he had an interest in me." She says with a smile.

Naruto walks around behind Shino, light slapping him on the shoulder.

"I didn't think Shino had it in him either, but he managed to surprise us all."

Shino keeps his face even, though he does fidget uncomfortably while Naruto has his hand on his shoulder. Naruto then pats Shino on the shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm just glad that everything went well between the two of you on your first date." Naruto says happily.

In response to that, Fumiko blushes lightly.

_Would she have slept with him yet? No, Fumiko isn't the type to be as amorous as that._

"Where are we headed for our double date?" Naruto asks.

Shino glances to Fumiko, who nods once.

"We really didn't know what to do since our interests are rather odd, so we're open to suggestions." Fumiko admits with a grin.

I look to Naruto, who slips his hands into his pockets and shrugs.

I shake my head slowly.

"We never really thought about it either." I admit.

"That is rather ironic." Shino points out.

"Why don't we go grab a bite to eat together? A relaxing lunch will work, right?" Naruto suggests.

I look to Fumiko, then Shino, and both of them seem to agree to the idea.

"Shall we go?" Shino asks, clinching the decision.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Not much later we occupy four stools at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"…so Sakura tries to apologize, and Hinata tells her to cram it down her throat before she walks away, and Shino knows the rest." Naruto finishes recounting the events of earlier this morning.

Fumiko nods in understanding, looking at me with surprise in her eyes.

"I had no idea you were the 'fox girl' that all the adults talked so badly about when we were kids, you don't look that dangerous to me."

_Naruto explained the whole 'fox girl' moniker and how hurtful it was to me when I was younger, and how it has a lot of negative association with me._

"This Sakura girl you're all talking about needs to apologize." Teuchi speaks up from cutting noodles.

"Yeah, she does." Naruto lightly agrees.

_We've all ordered our food, and now we're just waiting for Teuchi to get it ready._

"Stop eavesdropping on the customer's conversations!" Ayame scolds from the back of the stand. "It's really rude!"

"They're not just customers!" Teuchi argues in spite.

"Then it's all the **more** rude that you're eavesdropping!" Ayame growls, emerging from the back of the store with a meat cleaver in hand, the blade shining ominously in the afternoon light. "Am I clear!?" Ayame grinds her teeth with demonic expression on her face.

"Absolutely!" Teuchi quickly agrees, focusing seemingly his entire being on cutting and preparing the noodles.

"Good." Ayame's demeanor changes instantly, becoming cheery and upbeat instantly before she turns and walks back into the back of the store, meat cleaver still in hand.

"Talk about whipped." Naruto mutters in a low voice, and I see Teuchi's ears twitch in recognition, but he doesn't say anything, his knife moving faster in agitation.

"Um, Hinata-san." A familiar voice hesitantly calls out from behind me.

_That voice…oh no._

With a pit of dread forming in my stomach, I _slowly_ spin around on the stool to see Sakura Haruno standing behind the white curtain. Since she isn't that tall, I can see her face and the shame in her eyes and on her features. I keep my face and voice neutral; doing everything I can to conceal my emotions.

"What can I do for you, Haruno-san?" I ask emotionlessly, as though I was meeting her for the first time.

Sakura looks surprised for a half second, and then nods, accepting my attitude toward her. Then she bows to me in apology, speaking as she bows.

"I am sorry for I said, what I did was wrong, hurtful and I should not have said it." She apologizes. "I only hope you forgive me, I know I'm not the best person, but I **am** going to change that."

"It is a noble endeavor to better oneself, and I wish you luck in that pursuit." I respond, and Sakura looks as though she feels worse at my response. "Just remember that words can be just as painful as any weapon, and I'll forgive and forget."

Sakura breathes a sigh of relief at that, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you and I will!" She empathically answers. "I hope you all enjoy your ramen, and I'm sorry for disturbing you all." She says and bows again before she takes off at a jog.

As she jogs off, I can hear her mutter to herself.

"Kakashi-sensei is waiting for me; he's going to be pissed."

At hearing this, Naruto cracks a grin.

"That's a stretch." Naruto begins. "Kiba says Kakashi is always making _them_ wait."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Many hours later, well after sundown Naruto and I walk back toward the Hokage manor, the sounds of the village at a night a mix of crickets and the occasional rustling of tree branches as a small gust of wind blows through the air.

_Though the _people___of the village are all quiet, no shops are open tonight, and shinobi patrols have been stepped up. Everyone's heard about the meeting of the Council of War, and it's as though seemingly everyone in the village is holding their breath, waiting for the start of another bloody war._

"It's quiet tonight." Naruto comments with his arm around me as we walk together. "Like the whole village is waiting for the decision by the Council of War."

I nod my agreement.

"Things probably aren't going to stay like this for much longer." I point out, and this time Naruto nods.

"Yeah, the council and bureaucracy can only take so long before a decision has to be made."

_True, the Hokage can only circumvent the council and declare war only when a direct hostile attack is made on the village. Since the Hidden Rain hasn't done that, he needs the council's approval to bring all of Konoha's military to war._

"Minato-sama won't let things stay like this. We know the Hidden Rain is sheltering members of a rogue group of shinobi who have attacked nearly every other nation in the world and stolen from all of them."

"I doubt dad will wait beyond tomorrow, so if there's anything you want do before we had off for war, we should do it tonight or tomorrow."

I coyly reach up with my right arm and trace a circle on his chest with my pointer finger.

"Is that supposed to be a proposition?" I ask with a sly smile.

Naruto quickly looks away, his face turning red in embarrassment at being seen through so easily.

"Yeah." He admits. "If you want to!" He quickly adds.

_It might be good to do that one last time before things get going, never know when we'll get another chance since we'll probably have a mission tomorrow._


	33. Chapter 33

(Well, here's Chapter 33, and as a special treat there's an after chapter Omake for your reading pleasure. Again a big thanks goes to Blinkin, who edited this and did a great job with it. He seemed to enjoy the chapter and doesn't seem to have any idea what will happen next. I hope you all wind up with the same result, and a desire to know more. Leave a review/comment if you like, or if you're too lazy to do that, just vote in the poll on my profile. I lost my job today, the good news being that I'm still getting 2 paychecks from them, so I'll have money until the beginning of December, though I have no intention of ever needing unemployment. Anyway, the next 'chapter' might just be a combination of Omake's, detailing what's going in the world around this time and why things happened the way they have…)

Chapter 33: The Destruction of Konoha

That night, I have to keep my voice down. Even though both Kushina and Minato were home and snoring heavily by the time Naruto and I returned to the manor, I didn't want to risk waking them with what Kushina would undoubtedly consider 'inappropriate noise.'

Now, Naruto sits on my bed, my room farther from Minato and Kushina's bedroom than his. He wears his shirt and his boxers, his pants hanging on his left shoulder.

"Good night, I love you Hina-hime." Naruto whispers to me before he gently kisses me.

I return the kiss, Naruto pulling back a moment later.

"I love you too, good night." I return the farewell.

He stands up from my bed, quietly moving to the door before he cracks it open, listening intently before he quietly slips out of the door and into the hall, heading back to his room.

_It's a shame that the two of us can't sleep next to one another, though right now I need a shower. I'm covered in sweat._

Getting up, I go to the bathroom and take a relaxing shower as the afterglow from the love making fades.

_I'm glad that I'll be able to do this with him, so long as I keep taking those contraceptives, which I AM on schedule with the pills._

After the shower, I get into my pajamas and then go to bed, nodding off with a smile on my face, though I know that tomorrow will be a busy day.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion wakes me from my slumber, and I sit up quickly, my senses going from numb to fight or flight in a second. Looking around my room, nothing is out of the ordinary, no man in a black cloak with red clouds on it standing over me with a kunai ready to slit my throat.

The manor shakes, and I can tell that it's shaking from the foundation on up.

_What in the world is that?_

I get out of bed, throwing the covers off before I activate my Byakugan. The kekkei genkai's insight fills my mind, and through it I can see a panoramic view of nearly the entire village. A section of the wall surrounding the village is missing, and surrounding that hole a giant crater easily twenty meters wide encompasses the nearby blocks and even the forest outside the wall.

Six people stand in Akatsuki cloaks near the crater. They all have piercings in their face that look like they were extremely painful, and all of them have the same eyes as the man who soundly defeated Sasuke and took his eyes from him, one of the six is the same orange haired man that beat Sasuke.

_They've come, and there's only one thing they could want, me._

I quickly dress, practically throwing off my pajamas and pulling on my mission gear, loading up with as many supplies as I can carry, knowing that every kunai, every exploding tag could mean the difference between life and death.

_They're here for me, my downtime is up, and I'm __**not**__ going to let anyone die defending me._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Outside, near the center of the village, the orange haired man that bested Sasuke stands over a beaten Kakashi Hatake. The Jounin has his left eye closed, his body beaten with bloody cuts covering it along with nasty looking contusions. The orange haired man stands over him, holding a long black spike in his right hand.

"Where is Hinata Hyuga?" The orange haired man demands from Kakashi.

Half beaten to death, the silver haired Jounin opens his right eye, looking up at the Akatsuki member.

"She isn't here." He answers the Akatsuki member.

"I know that is a lie." The Akatsuki member raises his right hand, spike in hand ready to impale Kakashi with it.

"_Suck on this!_" I yell in defiance.

A kunai tagged with an exploding tag flies toward the orange haired man. He glances at it, and at the last second, merely a foot away from the man it suddenly bounces away, deflected by some invisible force that sends the kunai flying harmlessly away, the tag exploding a few seconds later in a harmless ball of flame.

He looks toward me, and I stand before him in Sage Mode, ready to kick ass and take names. I can feel his chakra, and oddly it's a very small source, as though it is only a partial amount of someone else's.

"Ah, there you are." The orange haired man speaks aloud.

Five bodies shrouded in Akatsuki cloaks leap from nearby, all of them aiming to pounce on top of me and beat me senseless.

_That's what they think._

Using the Sage mode, and what was drilled into me during my childhood with Hibana I spin, using the most famous Hyuga defensive technique, creating a dome of centrifugal force that catches the five bodies mid leap, grasping them and pulling them inside into a two layered dome, the inner layer presses them against the outer layer while spinning them around, essentially grinding their bodies inside the dome. A few moments after I catch them I end the rotation, flinging the five bodies in five different directions, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the area untouched.

The one with orange hair forgets about Kakashi, walking toward me with the spike in his right hand.

"You're quite the elusive little fox." He smirks.

Already I can feel two of the bodies that my attack flung aside on the move. I drop into a gentle fist stance, ready to move when two of the bodies leap into the air, again trying to pounce on me. I coil my legs and spring forward, meeting one of the two of them in mid air. My hands lance out in palm strikes aimed at the man's chakra network. My strikes damage the odd chakra network inside the body, and my last palm thrust sends the body flying backward violently. I hit the ground, kneeling as the body flies back and strikes a tree. The other body comes for me, and I plant my hands on the ground, sending a kick out to greet it as the body narrowly avoids my blow, and then goes flying back anyway, thanks to the frog kata.

The four undamaged bodies, including the orange haired one stand near one another, watching me to see what I'm going to do.

_Good, they're all bunched up._

I throw my right hand into the air, pointing up with my pointer finger in a signal to shadow clones stationed all around the area, a tactic inspired by Naruto's advice to use a shadow clone to gather natural energy. Tagged kunai fly from all directions at my signal, all of them aimed directly toward the four bodies. Some of the swarm of kunai is deflected, but some of them strike their targets, and those kunai that do hit already have their fuses lit. The knives that are deflected explode a few moments later, in time with those that _do_ hit, creating a spectacular explosion and a cloud of fire and smoke that consumes the four remaining bodies. A few seconds later the cloud bursts outward, blown outward by some invisible force.

_That's it! That's the technique he's using to deflect the kunai, I would think he's using wind chakra somehow, but it isn't like any kind of technique that I've seen. It can damage things that are hit by it, though there seems to be a five second delay between when he can use it._

The smoke clears, revealing the four bodies. Their cloaks are tattered and burned from the explosion, though each of them appears unfazed by surviving the explosion, or that they were nearly all set on fire.

"Such attacks are trivial distractions." The orange haired man says.

It's then that the twenty shadow clones leap from their hiding places. The clones pounce on top of the four bodies, forming a human dog pile as they rain down punches and kicks on top of the four opponents. I make hand signs, my hair coming alive and stretching around me, forming a needle guardian technique that covers my entire body in azure needles. It's then that the shadow clones explode in a burst of fire element chakra. Behind the needle guardian I can feel the heat from the flames, and I feel a smirk spread on my lips.

_That one is for Itachi, you son of a bitch._

Lowering the needle guardian, I see the smoke and flame disappear, as though it is sucked up like a vacuum. The fire and the flames vanish, revealing the now burnt bodies that all show some kind of fire damage.

_How the hell could they have survived that?_

"If you wish to avoid more pain and suffering, you will come with me now." The orange haired man speaks.

"Go blow it out your ass!" I use some of Naruto's favorite language.

He shakes his head in contempt.

"Your foolishness is the reason this _entire_ village _will_ be expunged."

"I won't let that happen!"

"You don't have a choice." He says.

Suddenly three of the four bodies flop to the ground suddenly lifeless and without a spec of chakra in them.

_What in the?_

"Shinra Tensei." The orange haired man speaks aloud.

_Uh oh, I've got a bad feeling about this._

BOOM!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_I never imagined that this would happen. Everything around him must've been leveled, and I have no idea exactly how much of the village he just, _flattened. _Fortunately most of the civilians were evacuated before the blast, thanks to Minato's Flying Thunder God and the efforts of the ANBU who were mobilized the second one of the Akatsuki showed up in the village. _

"Oh…" Kakashi Hatake's voice moans in pain.

The silver haired Jounin and I are in a small underground cave created using earth element ninjutsu. Tiny holes in the roof let in air, and a shadow clone created the cave and retrieved Kakashi's body before the blast. I currently kneel next to him while he lays on his back the length of the cave.

"You awake?" I quietly ask, and the man sits up groggily, a bandage covering his right eye. "I took care of the worst of your injuries, though you won't be in fighting shape for a while."

"What happened?" He weakly asks.

"I had a shadow clone in Sage mode retrieve you and bring you here." I explain for him. "That Akatsuki used some kind of jutsu, leveled everything around him, I barely managed to get out of the way."

"Why go through the trouble to save me?"

"You nearly died to protect me; I couldn't just let you die."

He shakes his head.

"You need to take care of the Akatsuki, not worry about me."

I nod, reaching into a pocket I withdraw a slip of paper with a jutsu formula written on it. Recognition flashes in Kakashi's eye as he realizes what is written on the scroll.

"This is…" He begins.

"You can use this to teleport to the shelters." I explain for him. "They'll have supplies there, and you have enough chakra left to activate the formula."

"Thank you for this, Hinata-san."

"I have to go, our time has run out."

"Make sure you win, and come back alive."

I nod, giving the man a thumbs up in affirmation.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The orange haired Akatsuki picks at wreckage, using his hands to pull apart pieces of rubble that were once buildings in Konoha. He pulls at a large rock, revealing what looks like me lying on the ground face down.

"It was foolish of you to resist me." He says, reaching down to grab 'me' by the jacket.

The man grimaces in distaste as he sees ten exploding tags piled beneath the body, their fuses all lit and burning. A half second later, the ten exploding tags go off in a loud roar of light and sound.

_That shadow clone ploy worked perfectly!_

The five other Akatsuki all land around the orange haired man, forming a circle around where the orange haired man once stood, and a few moments later he emerges from the cloud of smoke with his cloak in tatters and pieces of flesh missing from his body.

_He isn't bleeding, and he isn't even showing any pain._

"The real one must be hiding somewhere." The orange haired one says to his comrades.

"You call yourself Pain, don't you?" I ask, my hand emerging from underground as I emerge from the ground using an earth element ninjutsu.

_I heard Itachi say that someone named Pain acts as Akatsuki's leader, and he said he was able to perform some unbelievable ninjutsu, this must be him._

The six of them face me as one, and it's then that it clicks, that somehow they're all being manipulated like puppets.

"Yes, we are Pain." They all say in unison, sending a chill down my spine.

"Why would you call yourself that?" I ask curiously. "It can't be your real name."

"It wasn't my given name, but my _true_ name."

"I'm too weak to resist you now, so if I go along with you, will you at least tell me why you're doing this?"

For a moment the six bodies don't do anything, and then the orange haired one speaks.

"You wish to know, I'll tell you." He begins. "I was born in the Land of Rain, and my parents were killed by Konoha shinobi during a war by accident, and it was my fear of death at their hands that awoke my Rinnegan. After that I met two children like me, Yahiko and Konan, and both of them became my two best friends in this world. We grew up together, stealing to survive in our war ravaged country. Yahiko sought change, he wanted to gain the strength of a shinobi so he could grow stronger, and we happened upon three Konoha shinobi after their engagement against Hanzo, the leader of the Hidden Rain. After that Jiraiya-sensei adopted the three of us into his care, and taught us the shinobi arts. However, when a ninja came looking for Jiraiya, and my Rinnegan allowed me to kill him that Jiraiya began to seriously teach us. Later, he told me that he believed me to be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, and that I will be the messiah that saves the world from war and strife. After Jiraiya left the three of us started a gang that sought peace, and Yahiko led us, his creed to seek peace. We were told that we'd be going to assist in mediating a peace meeting between Konoha and the Hidden Rain, but when we arrived we found Konoha ANBU and Hanzo working together. They kidnapped Konan, and ordered me to kill Yahiko or they'd kill Konan. Yahiko made me kill him, and as he died he looked up at me and said I had to become the messiah so that would bring the world to peace. I swore I wouldn't let him down, and calling on one of the Rinnegan's techniques, I defeated the ANBU and Hanzo and sent them all running. After that Nagato was no more, there was only Pain."

I shake my head in pity.

"That's so sad, that one person should have to endure so much suffering."

"That pain is why I need the Kyuubi, I'll use it and the other tailed beasts to create a weapon capable of leveling an entire nation in an instant. With that I'll be able to scare the rest of the world into peace, and everything will at last be as Yahiko wanted it, and the world will look up to me and thank me."

I shake my head again, this time in denial.

"That isn't peace. It will only last as long as you're alive, or as long as only you control the super weapon. If someone somehow manages to steal it from you, they'll just use it against you and become a tyrant, and everything will be like it is now. True peace can only be attained when people learn to coexist, to cast aside their hate."

"Those are all just pretty words, if you'd been through what I'd been through then you wouldn't speak like that."

I smile, grinning at the man with one of Naruto's happy go lucky grins.

"You know what, you're right." I say through the grin.

BOOM!

Air rushes past me and an overpressure wave hits me, but I stand firm as the sound and light of the explosion assault me. I raise my arms to protect my face, and chakra glues my feet to the ground. The explosion rips the ground beneath the six bodies and creates a cloud of smoke and fire going up in a column into the air.

"That's a gift from the Toads of Myoboku." I say to no one.

As the smoke and dust begins to settle, I put my hands together and close my eyes, becoming motionless as I begin to draw in natural energy. In a second I feel the energy begin to course through me, and I bring it into balance, my body shifting into Sage Mode. I make the sign of the ram, knowing deep down that the trap won't be enough to kill the six Akatsuki.

"Shadow Clone jutsu." I mutter, and three of the shadow clones pop into existence around me.

Two of the clones take off and the third jumps on my back, assuming a piggy back position. Looking toward the explosion, I can feel the chakra from Pain still there.

_I know that those Sage Exploding Tags won't be enough to kill the six of them, and the tags were the last of my heavy weapons. The only weapons I have left now are shuriken and kunai, and even then not many of them._

_The shadow clone on my back will gather and transfer natural energy for me, and if that doesn't work the two shadow clones I sent off will use their Byakugan to keep watch, and if I drop out of Sage mode they'll dispel themselves and transfer the Sage chakra to me. This is my last stand. I have to hold them off until reinforcements from the remaining shinobi dealing with the evacuation show up._

The smoke from the tags clears, and now all six of the bodies show damage. Clumps of hair and pieces of flesh are missing from seemingly random parts of their bodies revealing pieces of bone. All of them have burns of varying degrees all over their bodies, and they aren't wearing much of anything in the way of clothes after the explosion.

"You're a sneaky little fox." The orange haired one says.

I spring forward, driving my right fist directly into the orange haired man's rib cage, hitting him with all the strength I can muster. The body flies backward, and after the attack the largest of the bodies leaps toward me. I spin around, forming a much smaller rotation, this one much faster and damaging than the larger dome. Catching the body in the rotation, he is flung away like he's shot from a catapult into the trees. Two more jump after the rotation dies down, and I hop toward one, punching at the same time as I push off the ground, hitting the body and with my Byakugan I can see the spine inside the body snap as my strike knocks it back, the body hitting the ground with an inert thud.

"Shinra Tensei." The orange haired one's voice enters my ears.

I feel a violent wave of force strike my back, annihilating the shadow clone there and sending me flying forward. I go into a roll, hitting the ground with a thud as I roll away from the bodies, coming up on all fours I look back at the four of them, using my still activated Byakugan to keep an eye on the entire area around me.

_If not for that shadow clone and the Sage Mode, I'd probably be unconscious._

The orange haired man approaches the three bodies that still stand together, glaring directly at me.

"No matter how hard you try, you cannot defeat me."

Getting to my feet, I glare the four bodies down.

"I can still try!"

One of the four men plants his hand on the ground, and I watch as a summoning jutsu happens, a giant dog appearing from the cloud of smoke, the dog having the same dojutsu as the six bodies.

_What the heck is that?_

The giant dog monster snarls, coiling its legs and charging at me with its fangs bore. The ground shakes as the ten foot tall animal crosses the distance between it and me, and I know that I can't use a rotation on it.

_Can't use a rotation, have to dodge!_

I jump up, avoiding the monster's bite as it lunges toward me, trying to rip my limbs from my body. Floating in mid air for a moment, I look down at the monster as it looks up at me. Holding out my right hand, chakra begins to swirl on my hand as I concentrate, the chakra forming into a large sphere of violently rotating chakra.

"This is from Jiraiya-sensei!" I declare as I fall back toward the monster, driving the Rasengan into the monster.

The sphere explodes violently, destroying the monster and reducing it to a puff of smoke as I hit the ground, coiling my knees from the impact. With the four bodies still standing near one another, and concealed inside the small cloud, my hands come together, forming a sequence of hand signs I learned from the toads on Myoboku.

"Ninja Art: Dark Swamp." I mutter.

The large black swamp appears below the form bodies, threatening to suck them all in, and they all scatter, my attack doing exactly what I wanted it to. Jumping forward, I move with all my available speed toward the body that did the summoning, wanting to take it out of the fight.

Running to within arm's reach, I drive my right elbow into it's chest, quickly following the attack up with a mix of gentle fist strikes and frog style blows, my attacks breaking bones and closing tenketsu. After seven hits, I grab the body by its feet, jumping into the air and dragging the body up with me and then spin head over heels, holding the body in my hands. Dropping down, I slam the body's face directly into the ground, the skull on the man's body exploding into a spray of mush before the bones in its chest break from the impact. In a second the other two are charging for me, ready to deliver blows of retribution.

"Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken!" Naruto yells out.

His yell surprises me, and I watch as the deadly spinning ball of wind chakra blindsides one of the bodies, hitting it and mangling it from the inside out. Seconds after the attack impacts the body, the wind stills and the body falls to the ground, the other bodies scattering in fear of more surprise attacks. Looking at the body struck by Naruto's attack, I can tell that it won't be getting up or moving anytime soon.

Even without my Byakugan, it's easy for me to follow the trail of Naruto's attack and what I see fills me with a sense of pride and relief. Naruto and Shino, along with Kurenai-sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, Maito Gai and many other Konoha shinobi that I can't even name stand together in a group, Naruto glowing in his Flash Mode, his father in the middle of the group, ready to kill.

_Where are Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sensei?_

Watching the two remaining nearby bodies, I see them both look toward the grouping of fresh shinobi on the scene to oppose them.

"Stay back!" I warn them all. "I'll handle them!"

_Though I am starting to run low on Sage chakra, this fight is taking its toll on me._

Almost in response to my thoughts I feel a rush of energy fill me, along with a blur of memories filling my mind as one of my shadow clones dispels, the memories like a recording of my fight against the six bodies played back in fast forward, there and gone in an eye blink.

"Konoha shinobi are fools." The orange haired man mutters. "They come to the aid of the very thing that caused the destruction of their precious village."

"Hinata isn't the one who did this, you are!" Naruto speaks up, and the orange haired man glares daggers at the son of the 4th Hokage.

"If she wasn't here, your village would still be standing, the people I've killed still alive."

With that, the two remaining bodies leap into the air, running like scalded dogs away from me and the reinforcements, seemingly heading in a random direction.

"You aren't getting away!" I declare.

I leap after the two bodies, my Sage empowered limbs carrying me farther and faster than normal. With my eyes, I'm able to track both of the bodies as they run through the forest.

_Where are they going?_

Then I see an odd looking tree in the distance at the edge of my vision, chakra shimmering all around the tree.

_What the?_

The orange haired man stops, turning on a tree the man raises both hands, looking directly at me as I charge toward him.

"Chibaku Tensei." The orange haired man says aloud.

Suddenly, I feel as though the world itself collapses in on me, trees, earth, stone; everything slamming against me in a barrage of pain, my world collapsing into darkness.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next I know, I am in darkness, floating in water almost up to my mouth. I sit up, feeling a smooth level surface beneath the water, and in the distance I can hear a low rasping growl.

"I'm inside my mind, in that bunker." I speak aloud as I stand up, up to me knees in water.

"Host, come here." It calls out to me through the bunker, and I can tell that it isn't making a request, but a demand.

"So long as I'm here." I mutter to myself dryly.

I walk through the hall, my feet sloshing as I push through the water and back toward the room with a set of bars for a wall that run the length of the wall, keeping the demonic monster contained behind it.

Behind those bars, I see the demon grinning at me from ear to ear.

"Do you want the power to defeat that man?" It asks from behind the bars.

"I already have that power!"

"No." It disagrees, shaking its head. "You don't have the power to break free on your own, but _I_ can help you." It tells me. "Just remove this seal, and I'll be free, free to kill that man and anyone who would stand in your way."

"You'd also be free to kill everyone in the world, including me." I retort dryly.

"What's more important to you, your life or the lives of the people around you?"

"My life is meaningless if I'm alone!"

A growl wafts from behind the bars, and the demon's face retreats into the darkness, the bunker becoming quiet a moment before four giant nails shoot out of the cell in the blink of an eye, flying straight for me!

I flinch in fear, in spite of the fact that the claws stop around four inches away from my face.

"If not for this cursed seal, I'd rip you apart!"

_I get the feeling that it isn't joking._

"I don't want or need your help!" I tell the demon off as it pulls back its claw. "I'm a Sage of Myoboku now!"

The fox humphs in disgust.

"Even an eternity locked away in here is better than death, host." It informs me.

"Let me out of here!" I order the demon. "If not then we could both die!"

"For once." It begins. "I agree with you."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next thing I know, I feel the pain of the rocks holding my body in place, darkness filling my eyes as the rocks lock out all of the outside light.

_The rocks aren't crushing me. The initial impact must've been designed to knock me unconscious while I'm transported inside this sphere wherever that man wants me to go. But I'm not going to let that happen._

With the rocks holding me in place, I begin to draw in natural energy.

_Thanks to this dome, it's actually easier to draw in the natural energy because this dome is preventing me from moving._

Bringing the natural energy into balance within my body, I feel my body shift back into Sage mode, my entire being feeling energized with strength. With the Sage strength, I try to move my arms and legs, but the rocks and dirt resist, holding me firmly in place in spite of my increased strength.

_I have one last option, though I don't like using it because it's so chakra intensive, but I don't have any choice._

I prepare to use Tsunade's super strength, which is well beyond even the level of strength imparted by the Sage Mode. Funneling chakra into my arms and legs, I prepare to try and break free from the prison.

_I just hope my muscles don't damage my bones from the physical force I'm about to place on them._

Flexing my arms, the rocks move and shift as I bring my hands together, then I clear a path from my hands to my mouth, biting my finger and drawing a small amount of blood before the wound closes. I quickly draw a summoning seal on my left palm, pressing my hand onto the rock wall I funnel my chakra into the summoning formula, getting ready to summon the largest toad I can.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Summoning Jutsu!" I scream out in defiance.

The ball of rocks explodes outward, throwing chunks of earth and trees out in all directions. Where the ball once floats, a giant cloud of smoke hovers.

"Senjutsu: Toad Burning Land Jutsu!" I yell out from within the cloud.

A column of flame twenty feet wide and ten feet high spews from the smoke, aimed directly at the two bodies and the chakra covered trees. The two bodies move, the tree breaking apart like origami, revealing a man in a strange wheeled cart with spikes jutting out of his body and a woman.

Both of them have dark hair, though the man and the woman are drastically different. The man stands in some kind of wheeled cart that holds his hands in place while black spikes jut from his back and arms. He has long hair, his face pale, like he hasn't spent a lot of time out in the sun. He has the exact same eyes as the other six bodies that I fought, and I can tell that this is a real person, not another marionette being controlled. The woman looks normal in comparison, she wears an Akatsuki cloak that covers her body, and her hair is held up on her head with sticks, an origami flower above her left eyebrow in her hair. She would be beautiful, but it doesn't look as though she cares that deeply for her appearance.

The orange haired man moves in front of both of them, holding out both hands, a wave of force impacts the flames, parting them away from the section of tree where the two people hid.

It's then that both Gamabunta and I emerge from the cloud of smoke, landing with a loud _boom_ of impact as the ten ton toad hits the ground with me standing on his head. The four of them look unimpressed, and I stand with my arms crossed atop the toad's head with a defiant expression in my eyes.

"Impressive." The man in the cart says in a flat voice. "Especially for a Konoha shinobi."

The woman shifts, sliding between the man and the cart and me, paper shuriken dropping from her sleeves into her hands. She has defiance in her eyes, glaring me down as though I am the same as the creature I have sealed inside me.

"Nagato, run." She speaks, and for a half second I wonder who she's talking to when the man in cart speaks.

"No Konan, I'm not going anywhere."

The one called Konan half turns toward the man in the cart.

"You're the messiah! You are the one who will bring peace to the world! You cannot die here."

"I'm not going to die." He tells her, and then he looks up at me. "Isn't that right little girl?"

I leap from Gamabunta's head, landing near the edge of the platform like area the four of them stand on, my arms at my sides.

"I'm not going to kill you, because as long as people take revenge for murder with murder, the cycle will continue on forever in an endless loop. I've seen it enough to know."

"You understand because you know pain, and the mutual understanding of that pain allows us to understand one another. Peace will never materialize until the entire world shares in that understanding, which is why I need your Bijuu."

"That isn't the reason!" I argue.

"What are you talking about?" He asks dryly.

"War is nothing but hatred and cruelty spread over everything! The only way to stop it isn't with violence, but with compassion! I'm working toward the day that people can understand one another and shinobi won't be needed!"

Nagato spits in disgust.

"That is nothing but an idealistic pipe dream."

I shake my head no.

"You're wrong! That dream is the dream my teachers share, and I'm going to make it reality!"

At first Nagato doesn't say anything, and silence settles over us while Nagato gains a far seeing gaze, as though he just had a sudden epiphany.

"Nagato?" Konan speaks, and he blinks, his gaze losing the far off look.

I feel a wall of force hit me like a battering ram, and I feel my feet leave the platform and fly backward. Then I feel the tongue of Gamabunta catch me, wrapping around me in a slimy embrace as he raises me up and plops me on his head.

"You all right little tadpole?" He asks in concern.

"I'm fine." I assuage Gamabunta, kneeling on his head.

I stand up to see both of the bodies stand between me and the man in the cart, and the woman looks as though she's ready to give her life for the man behind her.

"I won't let you take me, but it won't accomplish anything if I just kill you and that woman!"

"What should we do?" Gamabunta asks.

"He isn't the real leader of Akatsuki, there's another man that makes all the decisions and gives him his orders from the shadows."

Then figures streak through the trees, surrounding the area where the four Akatsuki stand, and I recognize Minato along with twenty of his ANBU as they take positions around the tree, forming a perimeter around the Akatsuki.

"Ah, the 'reinforcements' have arrived." Nagato says sarcastically.

"I'll handle this!"

"No, you won't." Minato contradicts me. "You've been burdened with so much already, and I'm not the type of man who will stand idly by while a young woman who is as close to me as my own son risks her life."

Nagato glares at Minato.

"You know nothing." Nagato says in contempt.

Minato raises his hands, kunai held between his fingers.

"I know enough, and I'm going to finish this!"

"Konan, we're leaving." Nagato says, and surprise flashes on Konan's face.

"What?"

"Our objective is now highly guarded, and proved more elusive than I originally thought."

I tense to attack, as do Minato and the ANBU when Nagato and the others disappear in a puff of smoke.

_A reverse summoning, clever little S.O.B._

I know that the four of them are gone even as the ANBU move in and check the area, searching for any clues and finding nothing within the cloud of smoke. One of the ANBU looks up at Minato, shaking his head, and Minato lowers his hands, slipping the kunai back into weapon pouches. Minato nods, turning toward me as he jumps from tree to tree, anger in his eyes as he lands on Gamabunta's head.

_He's angry; I've never seen him this angry before._

With his fists clenched, he starts to speak.

"I understand your desire to protect the village and the people in it, but it's the job of the Hokage to fight these battles, not you!"

"But…" I begin, but Minato continues.

"It's the job of my generation to protect the next, and I couldn't forgive myself if you ended up captured or killed protecting me or the village!"

I half turn toward where Konoha is, looking back over the forest.

"How'd the evacuation go?"

"We managed to get seventy percent of the population into the shelters before he used that jutsu, hopefully the rest weren't affected by whatever it is he did."

I look back at him, managing a half smile.

"That's a lot better than it could've been."

"If not for the recent council meetings, it would've been." He explains. "I was expecting some kind of force from Akatsuki to come to Konoha after your last mission, so I had members of the Hyuga clan working as sentries around the village. Them, combined with the vigilance of the shinobi of the village was crucial in saving who was saved."

"What about Naruto and Shino, and everyone else?"

"I ordered everyone else to protect the village, and begin clean up."

"Not a lot was spared."

"It will take a while for the village to be rebuilt, but we'll do it."

"We'll be all right." I assuage him. "The will of fire still burns bright."

He nods, a smile coming to his features.

"Aptly put Hinata, my thoughts exactly."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

On my way back to the village, Minato and the ANBU he brought with him accompany me.

_More precisely to the shelter beneath Hokage mountain._

That shelter which has provided protection to the civilians of the village in the past now serves as the primary housing for nearly the entire village. I've just gotten inside said shelter, I've been out of Sage Mode since Nagato and Konan left.

_Now though, I'm starting to feel the effects of that fight, all the exertion and the fighting, along with being trapped in that sphere, plus summoning Gamabunta and using that flame thrower jutsu. Being in Sage mode for that long, fighting that hard and using that much chakra would make anyone tired._

The shelter is dimly lit, lit by candles burning at ten foot intervals long the unpainted stone walls. There are doors everywhere, most leading to large rooms designed to hold refugees, though there are a few single occupant rooms designated for VIPs, like the Hokage for example. Connecting the large rooms are hallways seven feet high, connected to the surface at several concealed access points from the mountain.

From a branching hallway ahead, Naruto and Shino round the corner, the air between the two young men somber, no doubt the two of them are worried about my fate, and what might've happened to me.

"Hime!" Naruto's eyes light up and he runs to me, wrapping me in a loving embrace. "I was so worried about you! Don't _ever_ do that again!" He whispers.

_He probably didn't know about Pain, err…Nagato until the explosion, like I did. However, he doesn't have the advantage of my Byakugan, and being able to see where to go he was probably worried sick about me. _

"Sorry." I apologize, and Shino clears his throat.

"Ach-hem…"

At that, both Naruto and I practically fly apart, facing our friend together.

"I'm sorry for running off." I apologize to both of them.

"You acted nobly, however your actions were also very _foolish_, to fight him alone without support could've gotten you killed."

"I didn't have a choice; I didn't want anyone else having to put their life on the line because of me."

"We're all shinobi of this village; danger is a part of what we do." Minato chimes in.

"Exactly." Naruto agrees, motioning toward his father.

"I concur." Shino agrees.

"I'm sorry." I sincerely apologize. "I won't do it again."

"Ach-hem…" Minato clears his throat, and the three of us turn to face him. "I have an S rank mission for you."

"What is it Hokage-sama?" I ask.

"I'm sending a group of shinobi to pursue those Akatsuki." He informs us.

It's then that Team 7 emerges from one of the side hallways. The only reason I know its Team 7 is because of Sakura and Kiba and Akamaru's presence in the group, but other than the two of them, I do not recognize either of the other two.

The first is an older man with short brown hair and dark eyes. He wears the normal Jounin uniform like Kakashi Hatake always wears, a dark olive colored tactical vest, a navy blue long sleeve shirt and pants with blue open toe sandals. However, unlike Kakashi this man doesn't wear any gloves.

The second new face on Team 7 is a kunoichi the same age as Naruto and Shino. She has long blue hair and blue eyebrows and blue eyes. She's wearing a white form fitting turtleneck blouse and a pair of dark black shorts with open toed shoes.

"You've all met Kiba Inuzuka and Sakura Haruno." Minato begins. "I'd like to introduce you to Kanna Mizurashi. She's Sasuke's replacement and is a talented shinobi from the same graduating class. She has already ascended to Chunin as well."

"It's nice meeting you all." She says in a musical voice that would be at home in a concert hall.

"And this older gentleman is Yamato. He's a former ANBU who was selected to lead this team after Kakashi Hatake was injured."

The older brown haired man nods his greeting.

I turn to Minato, a curious expression in my features.

"Hokage-sama, we're still one person short of an eight man team."

"You'll have to deal without the eighth body." Minato quickly speaks. "You need to hurry as it is."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

An hour later the seven of us have left the village, on our way to pursue Nagato and the woman Konan. The ANBU had managed to retrieve a piece of the Akatsuki cloak one of the six empty bodies was wearing, and Kiba said all six of the bodies had the same scent, and he was fully capable of following it. We leap from branch to branch, Kiba and Akamaru guiding us with his prodigious nose.

"The scent is still far ahead." Kiba informs us, and Akamaru barks twice in agreement.

_I can't see him with my Byakugan, though I don't doubt that Nagato went this way, back to the Hidden Rain._

We keep moving at an ANBU's speed with Yamato setting our pace. Looking around the group, I can't help but feel pride at my comrades effortlessly keeping the ANBU pace and not showing any signs of fatigue.

_At least with me I've got larger than normal chakra reserves and thanks to the brutal training the Sannin put me through during my time away I'm no slouch._

Ten minutes later, Kiba stops, and the six of us stop on a dime, tensing in preparation for Kiba's announcement, but I can't see anything with my Byakugan.

"The scent, it's stopped moving." Kiba speaks up.

"We're still far from the border." Yamato points out.

"I can't see them yet." I speak up, shaking my head.

"We'll move on until Hinata can spot them, then we'll think of a plan of attack."

We all agree to Yamato's order, and start moving. Five minutes later I spot an oddity at the edge of my vision. I raise my hand, calling for a stop. What I see is the orange haired man from the attack on Konoha. His clothing is still tattered and torn, and there are no other abnormal signs around him.

"I see one of the Akatsuki from the attack on the village, he's just waiting." I relay the information. "He isn't even making an attempt to hide."

"We'll have to see what it wants." Yamato mutters and I nod in agreement.

"I'll go talk to it." I say aloud.

"I'm going too! No way am I letting you be alone with one of those freaks." Naruto speaks up.

"I'll watch your backs." Shino speaks up.

"All right, Naruto and Hinata will approach the man and speak with him, the rest of us will conceal ourselves and watch, the moment something begins to look wrong we'll pounce, there's no way that he'll be able to fight all of us off."

"Affirmative." We all agree in unison.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Twenty minutes later Naruto and I land on a branch near the orange haired man. He looks at us with a bored expression in his odd eyes.

"I figured Konoha would send you to pursue me, Jinchuriki."

"What do you want?"

"I have had ample time to contemplate what you said, and it has been bothering me since our encounter."

"You don't have a conscience; otherwise you wouldn't be able to murder so many innocent people!"

"The number of people I killed in Konoha was rather small, thanks largely in part to your persistent efforts in fighting my paths."

_His 'paths?' He must be talking about the six bodies that he somehow controls._

"What do you want?" Naruto demands and the Orange haired man looks at him.

"You're the Hokage's child." He says in acknowledgement.

"That doesn't answer my question!"

The man looks to me with calm in his eyes.

"I wish to give you a gift."

Naruto looks surprised, and I can't help but mirror the expression.

"What gift?" I ask in surprise.

"I have far overexerted myself, and I realize that you now carry the dreams of our mutual sensei."

_What does Jiraiya have to do with any of this?_

"For a long time." The Akatsuki continues. "I believed I was the messiah meant to save the shinobi world, but now I am not so sure. What you said to me has made me think about what I've done in life, and I've realized that you are the messiah the world needs, and I want to make sure that you can fulfill your role, and make your dream a reality."

I glance to Naruto, and he still looks on edge, like a coiled viper ready to strike. I put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance, and then I look to the Akatsuki man.

"All right, I'll see what this gift you're talking about is."

Naruto looks at me, giving me a look that says 'are you insane' but I meet his gaze and hold it, looking back at him with resolution in my eyes. After a moment of looking into my eyes, he sighs before nodding to himself he stands up straight and lowers his guard slightly.

"Come, preparations are almost complete."

The orange haired man takes off, and I move to follow, when Naruto's hand grasps my shoulder in a firm grip. I look over my right shoulder at him, and I see his blue eyes are deadly serious.

"Hinata, we can't trust this guy, you understand? Keep your guard up, whatever he's up to, it can't be on the up and up." Naruto warns me, still feeling against the whole idea of following the man that tried to kill me not a few hours ago.

"I will Naruto." I assure him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Naruto and I, along with the strange pale orange haired man approach a small clear area of ground in the forest. During the short trip Naruto created a shadow clone and sent it to the others, telling them to hang back and not interfere. Around the ten foot cleared area trees are toppled over, as though they were just forcefully shoved over, roots and all.

_His jutsu maybe? He could've used the one he uses to repulse kunai and other things to knock the trees over, probably did. One of the lessons they teach you in the academy about ninjutsu is thinking outside the box, using your ninjutsu for things other than their intended purpose._

In the clearing I see both Nagato and Konan with their backs to me looking toward the other remaining body that attacked Konoha that can still move. It is currently applying the finishing touches to what looks a summoning circle he's drawing into the ground.

_What is he drawing into the ground? Why is it so important?_

The man in the motorized cart rotates on the ground, turning his body toward me as the orange haired one walks up to and stands next to a solemn Nagato. .

"Good, you're just in time." Nagato comments.

Konan turns to face me, her expression stoic.

_Just in time for what?_

"What is this all about?" Naruto bluntly asks.

"The original Sage of Six Paths used the Rinnegan dojutsu to divine chakra and create ninjutsu. With his power he was able to stop the Juubi and create peace in a world that was filled with war and strife."

"What does all this have to do with Hinata?" Naruto again bluntly speaks.

"The founder and true leader of Akatsuki is Madara Uchiha." Nagato confirms. "He is bent on acquiring the Bijuu for his own selfish ambitions, and now that I have failed to bring him the Kyuubi and without the Hachibi Madara will either come to Konoha himself or at the very least send Sasuke Uchiha."

_They've captured Sasuke? How? It hasn't been that long!_

"Sasuke's been captured?" Naruto asks in surprise.

"Yes." Nagato answers him. "He came into the Hidden Rain like a bull in a china closet. He killed many of my subordinates, and even tried to fight against Madara himself, but Madara was superior, and very quickly Sasuke realized this, realizing the truth, Madara struck a bargain with him, and the young Uchiha entered into the service of the Akatsuki." Nagato finishes.

"No way. Sasuke couldn't have." Naruto mutters in disbelief.

"Believe it or not, Sasuke Uchiha has made his choice, and if you truly desire peace then you're going to have to do something neither he nor I could accomplish, kill Madara Uchiha."

"He's immortal isn't he? How can you kill an immortal?"

Nagato looks toward me, his eyes showing a glimmer of hope.

"Maybe the power of the Kyuubi combined with the Rinnegan there might be a way."

"_What?_" Konan says from next to Nagato, her surprise is clear as day in her voice.

_He means to turn me into one of his puppets, make me like that…thing standing next to him, not even really alive anymore._

I take a half step back, preparing to take off and run at the first overt sign that Nagato is going to try and turn me into one of his tools, and this does not escape Naruto, who balls his hands into fists, tensing his arms and legs, ready to pounce the moment Nagato tries anything. Nagato doesn't come after me; rather he turns his attention to Konan, a sympathetic expression in his eyes.

"Konan, I have accepted the fact that I may not be the messiah like Yahiko and the others believed me to be, and I've accepted the fact that I must die to pass the Rinnegan on to the true messiah."

"You can't." Konan pleads, tears forming at the edges of her eyes, her voice cracking.

Nagato smiles at her, a somber smile on his lips.

"I won't be able to fulfill our dream together." He begins, and more tears fall from Konan's eyes. "But this girl can, and I'm going to do everything I can to assist her, just as you should."

"You can't leave me." Konan wails in sadness as her voice cracks.

"I've asked much of you over the years, and this is my last request, watch over this girl, help her bring about the peace she desires."

Konan shakes her head, beating her fists uselessly against Nagato's chest.

"Peace doesn't mean anything if I can't share it with you." She whispers, her voice barely audible even though my hearing is above average and I'm less than ten feet away.

"My spirit will live on within the Rinnegan." He tries to console her.

"No." She cries into his chest, shaking her head in denial. "I can't lose you, not like this."

"You needn't worry. I'll be watching you through her eyes." He again tries to console her before he turns his gaze to me. "Are you ready?"

"How do you know that this is going to work?"

"The formula contained in the circle you see will prepare your body for the transfusion, and it will render you unconscious, and once that happens I'll transplant my eyes to you, using my Paths to perform the transplant."

"That'll hurt Hinata, won't it?" Naruto speaks up.

"I do not know. I do not know if the operation will even be successful, but I truly hope that it will, and that Hinata will use my eyes and the power they have to bring peace."

I nod, looking directly into Nagato's eyes.

"I will, until there is no life left in me." I pledge to him.

He nods. Then he motions with his chin toward the circle inscribed into the ground.

"Good, now please, stand in the middle of the circle."

I do as he requests, and I can see Naruto get even tenser, tapping his left foot anxiously. Konan sniffles, moving away from Nagato as he pulls his hands free from his cart, the two bodies falling inert as Nagato puts his hands together, and then closes his eyes.

"This may hurt." He cautions me.

"I'm ready." I answer him, meaning every word.

At that the circle begins to glow red, and I feel a current of electricity shoot through me. Pain runs through me, emanating from my eyes and flowing outward throughout my body in waves. I seize up, gritting my teeth, forcing myself not to cry out in pain.

_I've felt worse pain; I've felt worse pain…_

The thought repeats over and over again in my head, and to be honest, I'm hard pressed to remember when.

Omake: Transcendence

The orange haired man finishes inserting the second eye into Hinata's socket, my lover lying on the ground in the middle of the inscribed circle.

_It's done, now we just have to make sure her body accepts his eyes._

Watching her step into that circle, and then the red lightning began to run along her body, it took every ounce of restraint in me not to leap into the circle and tackle her out of it. Then when the electricity stopped, and she collapsed I couldn't stop myself. Running to her side I immediately knew that she was unconscious and otherwise unharmed. Then the one called Nagato asked me to step back, returning his hands to his cart the two bodies that had fallen over moments before stood up, and the orange haired one approached Nagato while the other approached Hinata. I stepped away, and the large body using his fingers he plucked one of the Hinata's eyes from its socket. Then the orange haired one plucked out one of Nagato's eyes, walking over to Hinata he inserted Nagato's eye into her socket. I watch as this process is repeated again, and finally the transplant is complete.

Immediately I start using a healing jutsu, doing whatever I can to ensure that the transplant is successful.

"Is it done?" Nagato weakly asks, blood seeping from his eye sockets, hands still in the cart.

"It's done." Konan speaks up from next to him, setting a hand on his chest. "You can finally rest now."

Nagato lets out a moan of pain, and his body goes slack in the assembly, the two bodies collapsing on the ground. My hands glowing with the light of chakra, the woman called Konan approaches the cart holding Nagato up. Pressing a hidden switch, the cart opens and Nagato falls forward, Konan catching his body and laying him on the ground. Konan then stands, walking over to the orange haired body; she picks up the body and carries it toward Nagato's dead form.

"What're you doing?" I ask, continuing to use the healing jutsu on Hinata's now closed eyes.

"Nagato used Yahiko's body to create his Deva Path, I'm going to give both of them a proper burial." Konan speaks up, wrapping the two bodies in a blanket.

"Will we ever see you again?"

The woman nods, hefting both bodies onto her shoulders.

"You will be seeing me again." She says with certainty. "That girl is the best hope our world has for peace. I'm going to whatever I can to help her."

I try to smile, but I can't force myself to smile at the woman.

"I'm going to take her back to the village, after that I don't know what we're going to do."

Konan nods in understanding.

"I will find you again. Do keep her safe until she recovers."

"You can count on it."


	34. Chapter 34

(Well, this is Chapter 34. It's got a lot of Omake's in it, in fact most of the Chapter is Omake's. I meant to make the entire chapter Omakes but I ran out ideas. So, here it is. Enjoy. R&R if you want…)

Chapter 34 Omake: The Odd Captain

_Hinata…_

She still lies on the ground, and hasn't moved since the transplant operation, save for the gentle rise and fall of her stomach. Konan has just left, taking Nagato and Yahiko's bodies with her, leaving the remaining 'path' as she called it to rot on the ground, along with Nagato's chair. Now though, I don't care about any of that, my attention focused solely on my lover lying on the ground at my feet while I kneel over her.

Suddenly there's movement from all around. Five shinobi land in a circle around Hinata, and I immediately recognize Yamato, Shino, Kanna, Kiba and Sakura.

"Is she all right?" Yamato speaks up, voicing the concern shared by the group.

I nod.

"She should be." I answer him. "I used a healing jutsu, and I've done what I can."

"Can I take a look?" Kanna asks with a smile on her face.

_She's probably the resident medic on Team 7, so she'll be better qualified to check Hinata out than I am._

"Yeah, go ahead." I answer, stepping back and giving Kanna room to work.

_Wait, why is she asking permission from me to check Hinata over, it isn't like we're married._

_That_ bothers me. Watching Kanna make hand signs and then hold her hands on either side of Hinata's head as she uses a jutsu designed to give the user a mental picture of the patient's body using chakra to form a rough picture of the patient's internal organs, I'm left alone with my thoughts.

Then I notice Yamato staring down at Hinata's body. He has a look on his face as though he expects her to suddenly leap up and attack at any second.

_What's his problem?_

"Can I talk to you, Yamato-taicho, in private?" I ask.

"All right." He answers.

The two of us walk away from the group as Kanna pulls her hands away, going to her pack and removing a first aid kit, setting it down next to Hinata's head. Yamato and I walk for nearly a minute before the ANBU motions for a stop, looking over his left shoulder toward the group.

"Cover your ears Kiba." He says in a normal voice.

The Inuzuka starts in surprise, and then quickly clasps his hands over his ears.

_We have to be at least twenty feet away, and even through the sounds of the forest he can hear us?_

"Can he really hear that far?" I ask in a low voice.

Yamato nods seriously.

"What do you wish to discuss?" He asks, cutting straight to the point in a low voice.

"Look, I don't know you, and you don't know me." I begin. "But I sure as hell don't like you looking at Hinata like she's going to wake up and go on a killing spree."

Surprise flickers in his eyes, and he crosses his arms over his chest.

"She has told you about her…tenant." He says, more statement than question, choosing his words carefully.

"If you mean the Kitsune, yes." I answer him, keeping my voice low. "She told me years ago, Shino knows too." I inform him.

"Have you ever seen her embrace the demon's chakra?"

I remember the first and only time I can remember that Hinata was ever influenced by the demon that I've ever witnessed, only a scant few days after she told me about the demon's presence.

"Yeah, once, and _only_once."

"How many tails did she exhibit?"

"Tails?" I ask. "What're you talking about?"

"When the demon's chakra leaks out through the seal, it manifests in tails, the more tails of chakra attached to the veil, the more powerful and less human she becomes."

"Well, she never exhibited any tails." I tell him. "And ever since, I haven't ever seen her use the demon's chakra."

"Well, she has used it since, while she was training with Jiraiya and Tsunade." Yamato says in a flat voice. "She leveled thirty square miles of forest."

_What? NO WAY!_

"That isn't possible."

"Believe what you will, she nearly killed both of them, gave Jiraiya a nasty looking scar on his chest and a scar on Tsunade's leg."

"Look, I don't know why you think she's so dangerous, but she isn't. She's never once attacked me or anyone around me."

"Hokage-dono believes her to be dangerous, that's why I'm here."

_Now what is he talking about?_

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask, my patience for the Jounin ANBU wearing thin.

_The fact that he seems to think Hinata is some kind of demon when practically everything she's done is contradictory to that tends to piss me off._

"What I'm about to say to you is considered top secret, you are to tell no one under penalty of death." He offers in preamble.

_Whatever this is, it must be important._

I nod in understanding.

"Through an illegal experiment conducted by Orochimaru, I was endowed with the same Kekkei Genkai as the First Hokage." He drops the proverbial bomb.

"You mean the Mokuton?" I ask, and he nods.

"In addition to the Mokuton, I can use another power that the First displayed; the ability to manipulate the Bijuu."

"You can control them?"

"Sort of." He explains. "My ability pales in comparison to the First's, but I can calm a Bijuu that has gone out of control and restore the Jinchuriki's control over their body."

"So, dad sent you to ensure that the Kyuubi never gets out of Hinata's control?"

"Exactly."

"Hinata isn't dangerous though." I comment.

"You haven't seen what her prisoner is capable of, if you had, you'd agree with your father."

"What about before? We never needed you before!"

"That is thanks to Haruka Uchiha."

_Haruka? Something with her Sharingan?_

"You're saying that our being teamed with Haruka and then Sasuke was all about having someone around that can control the Kyuubi?"

Yamato nods.

"What about Kurenai-sensei? She was our first teacher and isn't an Uchiha, and she doesn't have the ability to manipulate the Bijuu, does she?"

"No." Yamato says, cracking a grin. "Hokage-dono didn't believe that Hinata's Bijuu would be a problem when Kurenai was chosen."

"Right." I answer.

"Is there anything else?"

I shake my head no.

"Then let's go, we aren't getting anywhere like this."

I nod, sighing in resignation as Yamato and I start walking back toward the rest of the group. Once the two of us are back within easy earshot, Kiba removes his hands from his ears, a smirk coming to his face.

"You two love birds done with your heart to heart?"

Yamato gives him a glare that could melt ice, and I restrain myself from knocking Kiba's head off.

_He's just kidding, and he isn't a part of your team, Yamato will handle it._

"I'm done my analysis." Kanna speaks up, and I focus my attention on her as she steps away from Hinata's still prone body. "Physically, there's nothing wrong with her. Her eye sockets show no signs of damage and as far as I can tell it appears as though the transplant is taking." Kanna finishes with concern on her face.

_That look isn't good _

"That's good, isn't it?" Kiba asks.

"Yes and no." Kanna answers him.

Kiba does his best impression of a clueless person.

"What're you talking about? If the whole transplant thingy is taking and there's no sign of damage then she should be fine when she wakes up, right?"

Kanna regards him a sarcastic look.

"I'm not commenting on the success of the operation, I'm talking about the fact that _minutes_ after the operation, which was done without any surgical tools, there's _no_ physical evidence on her that she just recently underwent an ocular transplant. No normal person could go through a surgery like that and not have at least some tissue damage around the eyes."

"So, what're you saying is…?" Kiba asks.

Kanna sighs, shaking her head in disgust.

"I'm saying that Hinata's ability to heal is _beyond human_ you nitwit!"

_Uh oh._

"We should get going, we can't just leave her out here like this, and we need to make our report to the Hokage." Yamato interjects.

"I'll carry Hinata." I quickly volunteer, moving to pick Hinata up and carry her when Kanna steps between me and Hinata.

She looks at me with suspicion in her eyes.

"Why aren't you surprised? You're healing jutsu was good, but even with it there should be some sign!"

"Kanna, it would be wise if you dropped this line of questioning." Yamato cautions her, looking at her with a suddenly very spooky expression.

_Creepy…_

"Yamato-taicho…" She trails, and I can see a shiver run down her spine.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The less than quick Kiba speaks up.

"It means you need to cease questioning Hinata's ability to heal." Shino speaks up.

Yamato nods his agreement.

With that, Kanna steps aside and I gingerly pick Hinata up, draping her over my left shoulder.

"Let's go." Yamato takes charge.

"Right." We all answer in unison.

As a group we take to the trees, heading back toward Konoha.

_But what happens we you wake up Hina-hime? Will you still be you, or will you be something different entirely? _

Omake: Madara's Influence

The chirp of the crickets resonates through the forest. I sit on a tree branch, enjoying the sound as full the moon gently shines overhead.

_The moon, soon I'll have the Juubi, and then I'll use its power to cast my Sharingan over the entire world._

I wear my mask, the same yellow swirl mask that I wear when I appear as Tobi.

There's a shuffling of noise behind me, and I look to a nearby branch to see a familiar half white, half black face emerge from the tree, surrounded by his signature Venus fly trap like mouth.

"Nagato's dead." Zetsu reports.

"Oh really?" I ask, looking over at him with interest in my eye.

"He met the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, even fought her."

"I take it she killed him then?"

"Not quite."

"Then how did he die?"

"He gave the girl his eyes."

"Hmm?"

_I never expected that. Nagato believed himself to be the messiah that was going to bring about peace. What could've changed his mind on the matter?_

"He gave the Kyuubi Jinchuriki his eyes." Zetsu repeats himself.

"And you allowed this to happen?"

Zetsu quickly speaks.

"She wasn't alone. She had the Hokage's child as well as several other shinobi with her. They even had one of those dog-ninja with them, and I barely managed to avoid being detected by him or his hound."

"What about Konan? She just allowed her precious Nagato to give up his eyes and die?"

"She tried to stop him, but she failed."

"Did he say anything before he died?"

"He told them about Sasuke, and how he joined up with us. How did you ever convince him to join us anyway? He came after us like a mad bull."

I smile behind the mask.

"Sasuke is an Uchiha like me. We share a destiny of hatred toward the Senju, and now that he has an Eternal Mangekyo he'll be a valuable asset."

"Don't you already have one of those 'Endless Sharingan' things?" The white half asks.

"The wound that bastard Hashirama inflicted on me has made me a shell of my former self."

"Which is why you need the Bijuu right?" Zetsu asks. "To restore your eyes to their former ability?"

"Don't think I'm powerless." I quickly correct him. "With the Juubi I'll be able to cast an Infinite Tsukuyomi on the moon and bring the world under my control, and once that's done this world will finally be at peace."

"Yeah, yeah…" Zetsu's white half mutters. "Why don't you answer my question?"

"Sasuke came here disillusioned. He believed the lies Itachi told that brat Jinchuriki."

"So, you helped him to see the truth?" 'White' Zetsu asks.

I grin behind the mask.

"It's just as I told him, the 'truth' is a matter of perspective. What one person may believe to be the truth could be utter lies to another."

"Heh…" Zetsu mutters, grinning back at me. "Looks like your cousin is all done exterminating those annoying rats, you should go talk to him, he hates speaking to me."

I hop up, standing on both feet on the branch.

"I think I will. It's always amusing to talk to him."

* * *

Not very far away, Sasuke Uchiha stands in the middle of four dead bodies. He holds his sword, the Kusanagi in his hand, blood all over the blade, the blood from the four shinobi around him. He has his Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes, which looks like a six-pointed star with another six-sided star inside of it. The second six-sided star is black, surrounding his pupil, while his pupil is red; similar to the form Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan took.

He no longer wears a Konoha shinobi uniform. He now wears a white kimono top and black hakama, the Kusanagi sheath slung over his right shoulder. He has a black belt, and the only decoration or symbol on his clothing is the Uchiha fan symbol, near his collar at the back of his neck. Around all of that he wears an Akatsuki cloak, now splattered with the blood of many fallen shinobi.

"Very impressive work." I comment as I emerge from a nearby tree.

On the four bodies surrounding Sasuke are burn marks in addition to the cuts left by the Kusanagi. The marks are bad, blatantly obvious third degree burns, with the skin, muscle and even their bones burned away by Amaterasu.

"You left none of them alive, eh?" I taunt, and Sasuke glares at me.

"You told me to kill them all; they've been bothering you for six months, haven't they?"

I nod once, putting my hands on my hips.

"They're nothing but annoying shinobi from the Land of Lightning." I retort. "Ever since we went after the Hachibi six months ago their Raikage got pissy and declared war on us. With Nagato and his abilities it wasn't really a concern, but now that you're here…"

"I am here to take my revenge on the Senju and Konoha for what they made Itachi do." He retorts with ice in his voice, a dark chakra filling his eyes. "I only killed these fools to thank you for opening my eyes, for revealing the truth to me."

"Your abilities are impressive." I begin, keeping my voice playful. "Though, you use far too much chakra with the Mangekyo jutsu, you need practice to learn control."

"I don't need control!" Sasuke growls, flicking the blood from his sword. "You've spent decades waiting to take your revenge; surely you of all people understand how I feel!"

"I have spent the better part of a century dealing with the humiliation that those fools in that village have dealt me. I will _not_ allow your impatience to jeopardize my plans."

Without a hint of hesitation the Kusanagi and the right arm attached to it shoots toward me, impaling me through the mask and my skull, but I don't feel the legendary blade's steel going through my skull.

"That was _awfully_ impatient of you, Sasuke-kun." I scold him.

I pull my head away from the blade, using my jutsu to prevent the sword from harming me. I step to the side, and Sasuke lowers the sword, an annoyed scowl coming to his face.

"You really are immortal, too bad your eyes aren't as powerful as mine." He taunts me, but I do not take the child's bait.

_I've been around since your great grandfather child, what makes you think you can do anything that I haven't seen before?_

"My eyes are powerful enough, Sasuke-kun." I speak in a condescending tone.

Sasuke scowls at me, and I can feel the hatred in his eyes, and I can't help but smile at the expression behind the mask.

"I'm going to destroy Konoha, to make them all pay for what they've done to the Uchiha clan." Sasuke declares, and I glare back into his eyes with my one visible eye.

"You are not ready." I deny him in a flat tone. "Even after I mastered the Mangekyo, I couldn't defeat Hashirama."

"The First is long dead; there is no one in Konoha who can compare to him now."

"The Jinchuriki has gained the Rinnegan. It's possible she will learn to use its powers like the Sage of Six Paths. If that happens, she'll become more powerful than even Hashirama was, than I am."

"The Rinnegan?" Sasuke asks, ignorant of the history of the shinobi world.

"The original dojutsu, the one used by the Sage of Six Paths, the man who founded the shinobi world. The same dojutsu Pain had before he died."

Recognition flashes in Sasuke's eyes.

"You're full of it!" Sasuke growls. "Hinata is a Hyuga; she would never give up her eyes."

I shrug my shoulders.

"Believe what you want, the Hyuga has gained Nagato's Rinnegan, and she'll use it to defend Konoha. Until you've fully mastered the Mangekyo, you won't be able to defeat it."

Zetsu chooses then to poke his head out of a nearby tree branch.

"More cloud ninja are coming this way, they're after you both." He reports.

Sasuke's eyes flash with chakra, an amused smirk coming to his lips.

"Like lambs to the slaughter." Sasuke smiles.

* * *

Naruto carries the unconscious Hinata on his back. Yamato-taicho and Kiba and I are on one side, while Shino and Sakura bring up the rear of our group. We're currently on our way back to Konoha. Ever since we began the trip back to the village, I can't help but think that there's some secret between Naruto, Shino, and Yamato-taicho. What that could be though, I have no idea.

_There's definitely something there, some secret about her that they can't talk about, but what could it be? Kiba is so thick headed, but his sense of smell and hearing is more acute than anyone I know, if anyone can give me a clue as to what this mystery surrounding Hinata Hyuga is, it's him._

"Kiba-kun." I say, keeping my voice in a low whisper.

The Inuzuka currently rides his dog Akamaru, who is large enough to be of similar size to a wolf rather than a canine.

"What's up Kan-chan?"

I glance toward Naruto and Yamato-taicho, looking at them wearily.

"Something about Yamato-taicho and that Naruto?"

"No, not them, Hinata-chan." I answer, shaking my head no.

"What about her?" Kiba asks, looking clueless. "She's the one who fought that Pain guy, and she's a student of both the Sannin."

"But the question is, why?" I ask. "Why would both of the Sannin choose to train her, and why would that Nagato person come after her? And he was talking about the Kyuubi."

_Could it be that she's the Jinchuriki that the Kyuubi was sealed into? I know that the demon was stopped by sealing it into a newborn baby, but just because she fought him off doesn't mean that she's the one he was searching for. Though I can't be sure that she is, or she isn't the one that the demon was sealed into._

"She does have an odd smell to her." Kiba speaks up.

_What does that mean?_

"What are you talking about Kiba-kun?"

"Her _smell_." He says again. "You know; her scent."

"What's weird about her scent?"

"It doesn't smell like any other person I've ever smelled, she's always smelled odd, even during the Chunin exams when we were twelve." He explains. "I asked my mom about it, and she just told me that everyone's scent is different, and that I shouldn't worry about it."

"Have you ever seen her act strange?"

He shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know I hardly ever see her and I don't know her half as well as Naruto or Shino."

"Well yeah, they're her teammates."

"So why not ask him? If he knows and you're suspicious then just ask him. The worst he can do is tell you he can't say anything."

"If he's going to say something like what Yamato-taicho did then it won't get me anywhere, I have to figure this out without asking them."

"Well, good luck with that." Kiba says with a grin.

All of the sudden, pieces seem to slide together, bits and pieces of what Nagato said to Hinata in addition to other seemingly irrelevant information sliding together, all leading toward a single conclusion.

_Nagato said that Akatsuki had failed to retrieve the Kyuubi and the Hachibi, so he must have come to Konoha to get either the Hachibi or the Kyuubi. He also said that he had failed to retrieve the Kyuubi and that the Hachibi had already gotten away, meaning he had to come to Konoha to look for the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. If that's so, and if Yamato-taicho is supposed to have similar powers to the First Hokage, who was said to be able to control the Bijuu like they were his pets, then maybe he's with this group because she's got a demon inside her, and he's here in case she loses control. Plus, if she's the Jinchuriki it would make sense that both of the Sannin would want to train her, to help her learn to use its presence for her own benefit. Then there's the fact that her eyes had that red ring around the edge of the pupil. The Kyuubi was supposed to have red fur and red chakra, so maybe her eyes are like that because she has had the demon sealed inside of her since she was a new born. _

_ But the question is how do I feel about that? I mean, she's a person, and she's a more than competent shinobi. She's gained the title of Sage, and now has the same dojutsu as the Sage of Six Paths. I've never seen her once act out or do something illegal, and she seems like a nice person._

* * *

Ten corpses now lie on the ground around Sasuke Uchiha, all of them suffering from sword wounds with great amounts of blood coming from them. Sasuke has a piece of cloth in his left hand which he uses to clean the blood from the Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

"Having fun, Sasuke-kun?" I ask as I lean against a nearby tree with my arms crossed.

Sasuke scowls at me with annoyance in his dark eyes.

"You let me do all the work." He mutters dryly. "Think you could've lifted a finger to help me kill these fools?"

"You hardly needed assistance." I say with a smirk. "Besides, what do you need from me? Your eyes are supposed to be so much more powerful than mine."

The scowl on his face gets deeper.

"Whatever." He says with a scoff of contempt.

"Zetsu." I say, and the odd shinobi emerges from a nearby tree branch.

"Yes Madara-san?"

"Do we have any other uninvited guests coming to greet Sasuke-kun?"

"I am not detecting any other chakra sources nearby." He reports.

_Good._

* * *

"This is unbelievable!" Danzo of ROOT roars in outrage.

I grimace, the only outward display of emotion I give.

_I'm the 4__th__ Hokage after all. I'm supposed to be the leader of the village and a pillar of strength. Now though, I'm in an emergency meeting of the village council, the subject of this meeting the proper response to the brazen attack on Konoha by an Akatsuki member who calls himself Pain, and what to do with the Jinchuriki that he came here to collect._

"Hinata Hyuga has done much for this village, you cannot just vote to have her executed because of an event outside her control." I argue in a calm voice.

Looking around the circular chamber, I can see elders from every part of the village. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya are sitting at the table as well as Danzo and the de-facto leader of the Hyuga clan Neji Hyuga.

_They're my only allies left in this room. I thought that Homura and Mikado would remain with me because Sarutobi chose me to be his successor, but now they're leaning toward Danzo, and Danzo thinks that I am too infatuated with Hinata to maintain my objectivity, but he's always wanted to have Hinata's head put on a platter the day after the Kyuubi was sealed._

"Her presence in this village has brought this catastrophe upon us! If not for her the Akatsuki would never have come here."

"That's hardly true." Jiraiya speaks up. "I've been following them for a while now, and I can guarantee their objective is much more than just gaining possession of the Bijuu, they mean to do something major, sooner or later this would've happened."

Danzo glares daggers in Jiraiya's direction.

"The presence of the Kyuubi No Kitsune has been nothing but a blot against this village since the day it was sealed." Danzo continues, relentless in his pursuit of the death of Hinata Hyuga.

"Do you forget, other nations have their own Jinchuriki, and each of them are powerful shinobi? Were to kill our Jinchuriki, we would be losing a valuable asset against the other hidden villages."

"There are only _two_ remaining Jinchuriki that have escaped Akatsuki's pursuit, I might remind you." Danzo says matter of factly. "And of those two, one is missing, the brother of the Raikage! I highly doubt our village's strength will suffer from the loss of the Kyuubi."

"Isn't the argument rather pointless?" Tsunade speaks up. "We need every able bodied shinobi we can get, especially _now_, so calling for the death of one of the most capable shinobi is stupid."

Danzo, and the men and women who ally themselves with him show their surprise, there and gone in an instant.

"The person responsible for this act must be brought to justice." Hayate, the leader of the Konoha business guilds, speaks.

I nod my agreement, hoping to tip the scales within the council.

"I have already dispatched a team of shinobi to pursue the Akatsuki responsible. I have every confidence that they will return with news of his death or capture."

"Is the Jinchuriki a member of this 'team' of shinobi you've dispatched?" Danzo inquires.

This time it is my turn to glare in anger.

"I can hardly see the point in asking that question, Hinata's ability to recover is tremendous."

"Due to the presence of that demon in her body." Danzo interjects, and I continue, ignoring the quip.

"And her status as a Sage is uncontested, her ability to not only fight off but to save the life of a Jounin who is many years her superior makes her ideal for chasing down the madman responsible."

"And your son's…infatuation with her wouldn't be clouding your ability to think objectively on this issue, would it?" Danzo asks in an insinuating tone.

I stand up, slamming my fists against the table in anger with enough force to crack the thick wood and glaring anger toward Danzo, bloodlust filling the air between us.

"I will _not_ say this again." I begin, my voice seething in contained rage. "The next time you call my rationality into question Danzo, it shall be your last. _I_ am the Hokage, not _you_! And as long as that fact remains true I will _not_ have my decisions called into question by an old man who's missing half of his body!"

Danzo's only visible reaction to my anger is a slight smile coming to his old wrinkled face.

"I understand _Hokage-sama_." He says with that smug smile and in a condescending tone. "It shall not happen again."

_Asshole._

"Hokage-sama? May I ask as to how you intend to respond to this threat? It is clear to all of us that Akatsuki poses a risk not just to us, but to the entire world." Hayate speaks up, directing the conversation in the proper direction.

I nod, taking my seat once again.

"I intend to call a meeting of the Five Kage. Six months ago the Raikage only sought assistance in his war against the Hidden Rain, now the intentions of Akatsuki have been laid bare, and the world can no longer turn a blind eye toward it."

"Another summit?" Hayate asks. "You intend to accomplish something during this summit that was not accomplished in the previous summit?"

"I intend to propose a multi-national force of shinobi be created, the sole purpose of this force will be the pursuit and destruction of the Akatsuki and any other criminals threatening the peace, be they shinobi or otherwise."

Danzo's expression changes, changing from stoic calmness to guarded interest.

_So, he's interested in the idea. No doubt he would like to lead this group himself, but I'm not stupid enough to let that happen. He already has ROOT, if he were to gain control over what I'm proposing he'd have free reign to do whatever he wants in the name of pursuing criminals._

"And what of oversight for this group?" Danzo asks with guarded interest in his tone. "Someone trustworthy will need to lead them, to ensure that they do not abuse their power."

I keep my emotions carefully concealed behind a mask of calm.

"I suppose you wish for that responsibility, Danzo-san?" I ask.

His face hardens, forming into a scowl, nothing more than a ruse.

"I only seek to ensure the safety and security of Konoha. If leading this group of shinobi can assist with that, then I shall bear that burden with the responsibility and objectivity it deserves."

The corner of my lips curve in a slight smile.

"Unfortunately, my design would prevent any such abuses, as a shinobi from each of the five nations will oversee this force, and should they lose their way, that _group_ of people will return them to the proper path, _not_ a single individual."

"Hmm…" Danzo murmurs. "I understand, Hokage-sama."

Omake: The New Tenant

Hinata is not a heavy girl, and carrying her back to the village hardly puts a dent in my stamina. In fact, the entire trip back to the village I can feel adrenaline pumping through me, giving me energy to spare.

"Naruto-san, if you are tired I can carry Hyuga-san." Yamato-taicho offers and I shake my head, rejecting the offer.

I hold Hinata in a bridal style, while Shino has her pack. The seven of us are walking through the village gate, the guards just waving us by. I walk ahead of the group, and the people in the streets make way, giving us a wide berth.

_I have to take her back to the bunker, Dad will probably want her in a private room, what with the fact that Pain came to Konoha to capture her, and the people will probably want her head on a platter as a result._

As we head back to the bunker Kiba, Sakura, Kanna and Akamaru all split off to go assist with rescue and clean up work. Only Shino, Yamato-taicho and I enter the bunker. Approaching one of the many doors to the bunker, the two guards immediately motion us inside, opening the door for me.

"I will go report to Hokage-sama, Naruto; you know where the private rooms are?"

I nod.

"Yeah, I learned back when the Sand and Sound attacked years ago."

"Good." Yamato says curtly. "Take Hinata-san there, until she wakes up she'll need to be protected."

"I got it." I affirm for him.

"Understood." Shino speaks up.

With that Yamato walks away, and Shino follows me as I take Hinata to one of the private rooms. Two ANBU stand on either side of all the doors to the private rooms, and I quickly find one that isn't occupied. The ANBU opens the door for me, and I guide Hinata's unconscious body head first, taking special care to not bump her body against the doorframe. Setting her down on the bed, I gently remove her outer jacket and Sage haori, setting both aside. Under the jacket she wears a short sleeve fishnet shirt with a patch of black fabric around her chest and upper stomach, her belly button exposed.

_She's beautiful, even lying here unconscious, she's still a knockout. Though I can't picture her with those freaky eyes that guy had, in spite of the fact that I watched him put them in her._

"I'm going to go get something to read, would you like me to get you something Naruto?"

I shake my head no.

"I'm fine. I'll stay here till she wakes up."

"Understood." Shino says before reaching out he lightly grips my shoulder. "She'll be fine Naruto."

"I know man, I know." I answer him.

With that Shino takes his hand from my shoulder, and then walks to the door, opening it before he walks out and closes the door behind him. I turn my head from the door, and I see Hinata's eyes are open, looking at me with a stoic expression on her face.

"Hime!" I begin, but I stop, her expression telling me that it isn't Hinata I'm talking to. "Am I speaking to the Kyuubi?" I tentatively ask.

"I am _not_ the demon." Whoever I'm speaking to says. "You knew me as Pain."

My internal alarms blare, and I stand up, balling my hands into fists as my bloodlust fills the room.

"What have you done to Hinata?" I demand with in barely contained rage. "If this is part of some scheme to capture the Kyuubi."

My knuckles are white, and I can feel my anger at seeing the young woman I care about not acting like herself and the thought that she'd been duped into accepting the Rinnegan makes me furious.

"You can relax Naruto-san." He/she explains. "I am only temporarily in control of this body, and I won't be able to do this again."

That statement doesn't do much to soothe the rage that boils through my veins.

"What do you want?" I growl.

"I wish to speak with you." He/she says simply.

"What about?" I ask with skepticism in my voice.

"Trying times are ahead." He explains to me. "While I do not know the full extent of Madara's plans, I know enough that he intends to turn the world on its head, and he will not rest until he's done that."

"What does that have to do with Hinata?"

"I believe this girl is destined to save the entire world from Madara's fury. If you intend to stand by her on that path, you may have to sacrifice yourself to save her, are you willing to do that?"

"For Hinata, I'd do anything."

He/she smiles, nodding in approval.

"That's good. I'm afraid my time is up. You won't be seeing me again, though you should keep this conversation a secret from her."

"I'm not going to lie to Hinata."

"If she were to learn I was capable of this, she might make you remove these eyes; do you want her to be blind for the rest of her life?"

I open my mouth to say something, and then shake my head.

"Good, then don't say anything about this conversation, I won't."

With that, her eyes close, leaving me to wonder the meaning behind his/her last statement.

_I won't? What in the world does that mean? _

Sitting there, I'm left to ponder that as I move around the bed, grabbing a chair I sit on her right side, watching her sleep.

_When you wake up I'll be here, you aren't alone Hinata._

I reach out, take her hand in mine and give it a gentle squeeze.

_Please be okay, wake up soon and please be okay._

Omake: My Student's Teacher

Sighing in exasperation I flop into the padded chair, immensely grateful for the chance to sit down.

_Norito finally went to sleep! With everything that's happened recently it's amazing that this building was spared, though I've been busy with assisting with clean up after the disaster, and now…_

As if to interrupt my thoughts and on some cosmic cue, there's a knock at the door of my apartment.

I glance at the clock, eight PM.

_W__ho in their right mind is going to come calling to me at this time of night? Asuma has a key, and Shikamaru and Ino both aren't coming until tomorrow afternoon._

Getting up, I feel weary as I walk to the door.

_If this is Lee and he's here being his normal energetic self and he wakes up Norito I swear to all that's holy he'll never wake up from the nightmare I'll give him._

Opening the door, I am not greeted by the energetic young man clad in green with bushy eyebrows, but another figure entirely.

The man is older, his clothing consisting primarily of the colors red and green, a rather large scroll at the back of his waist, with spiky silver hair that has nothing to do with his age. I know his face, he's as close to a celebrity in the village as one person can be.

_Jiraiya._

"Good evening, Kurenai Yuuhi." Jiraiya says in greeting with a smile.

"What brings you to my home at this hour?" I ask, keeping my voice neutral.

He looks me up and down, and I can't help but feel as though he's undressing me with his eyes, and what he says next confirms that suspicion completely.

"Talk about MILF, Asuma sure is a lucky man."

My face turns crimson, and in a flash the blade of kunai presses against Jiraiya's carotid, the kunai connected to my right hand.

_Don't do it, don't do it…_

My thoughts repeat again and again, and the fact that if I were to kill him I'd be prosecuted as a criminal shinobi for murdering a hero of the village and I would never see my baby again.

"What do you want Jiraiya?" I ask, pulling the kunai away from his throat before I slip it into the sleeve of my blouse, and the concealed sheath strapped there.

"I came to talk actually." He says with a grin, rubbing at his throat where my knife pressed against his skin. "May I come in?"

"Only if you can be quiet." I tell him. "I just put my baby down for bed, and I don't need you waking him up."

He nods his agreement, and I step aside, allowing the Toad Sage access to my domicile. He takes four steps inside, and I close the door gently, trying to make the least amount of sound possible.

"Is this about my maternity leave?" I ask. "It's understandable that Minato would want me back, what with what's happened recently."

Jiraiya smirks.

"This isn't about you; it's about Hinata-chan."

To say my interest is peaked would be an understatement. Hinata, Naruto and Shino are the only three shinobi I've ever taught, and I feel very attached to all three of them. I also feel more than a little pride at how all three of them have blossomed into exceptional shinobi. The fact that I taught them beyond the basics of the academy and what they learned from me set the foundation for where they are today.

"What about her? She wasn't hurt during the attack."

I _know_ that much is true, the fact that she not only fought the aggressor off but also saved Kakashi Hatake's life in process quickly spread throughout the village.

"She was sent to pursue the Akatsuki responsible for the destruction, and along with her teammates and the members of Team Seven they were successful in tracking down Pain."

"So what? They brought him and any of his cohorts back to the village in chains?"

He shakes his head no.

"They've returned with no prisoners, but according to the preliminary report from the team leader she has had the Rinnegan transplanted into her eyes."

"Rinnegan?" I ask, the name ringing a bell, but I don't know exactly what Jiraiya is referring to.

"A dojutsu, a kekkei genkai that was used by the founder of the shinobi world, the Sage of Six Paths who divined chakra and created ninjutsu."

"How is that possible?" I ask. "She couldn't have awoken that herself? Could she?"

Jiraiya shakes his head no.

"One of the Akatsuki had it, and apparently he offered to give it to her, and she accepted it."

"Is she all right?"

"For now she is asleep, medically she's fine."

"Are people allowed to visit her?"

"For the time being no." He answers while shaking his head. "With her recent victory, Minato would rather err on the side of caution. He'd rather keep the people from seeing their perceived hero laid out like she is."

"That's understandable." I agree.

_Hinata, I hope you're okay._

"Well…" Jiraiya begins, turning toward the door. "I've said my peace, I have to get back. Things are going to get _very_ busy soon." He speaks as he walks to the door.

Opening the door, Jiraiya shows himself out before I can even speak up, leaving me to wonder what he meant by his last statement.

_Things are going to start happening, that can't be good._

With more than just Norito now on my mind, I take a seat in the chair again, breathing another exasperated sigh.

* * *

Chapter 34: Bodyguards

The next thing I know, I stand inside my mind. The water is now up to my knees, and the low growl-like breathing of the Kyuubi tells me that I am indeed in its presence. The bars that dominate the entire wall are to my left, and before me stands a young, dark haired man. He wears black robes and has long dark hair that's parted down the middle, hanging off both sides of his face and leaving his forehead in clear view. He looks to be my age, his skin scuffed from a hard life. What is most distinguishing about him however is the Rinnegan in his eyes.

"Nagato?" I tentatively ask, and the young man nods.

_But how is he here? Furthermore what does this mean? How can another person exist inside of me? I already have this damn demon lurking around inside me, I don't need another person!_

"It appears as though the transfer was a success."

"Transfer, you mean you were able to transfer your eyes into mine?"

He nods once.

"Yes, though it will be some time before you will wake up, in order to ensure that your body didn't reject my eyes I had to drain your body of chakra."

_Okay, but if I'm here, does that mean…_

"So, are you in control of my body now?"

"No, you needn't worry about that. My consciousness is sealed inside the Rinnegan. I meant it when I said I would be watching Konan from your eyes. Though, it does feel weird. I can feel your demon through your coils. Its chakra is so different from human chakra."

There's a short growl from behind the bars, and I ignore it.

"The Kyuubi and I have a love-hate relationship." I explain for Nagato. "More importantly, where do _we_ go from here?"

Curiosity settles into Nagato's features.

"What do you mean?"

"You're inside of me, literally, how does this work?"

"I'll be here, looking through your eyes and helping you however I can. I can't appear before you for an extended length of time, so you'll have to be a quick study. The Rinnegan took me years to learn, I felt this was the only way I could impart my knowledge onto you."

"Then please, I'd like to begin learning."

He smiles at my fervor.

"In due time. For now, you should focus on recuperating and adjusting to the Rinnegan."

"Why would I need to adjust?"

"The dojutsu enables the user to manipulate the six types of chakra as if they are their own, with these eyes you can use any ninjutsu or genjutsu regardless of its elemental properties. You'll also be able to see chakra and how it's formed, so learning jutsu will be much easier for you now. Though ultimately what you do with the dojutsu is your choice, but you can create any jutsu you want, as long as you have enough chakra to fuel it."

_Wow, it lets me do all of that? It makes the Byakugan seem so underpowered._

"I understand." I speak, and I can feel something begin to pull at my consciousness.

"Good luck, we'll speak again soon."

* * *

"Oh…" I moan tiredly, and I open my eyes to see a dark room, and the feel of a soft bed beneath me.

Immediately I take in the plain and undecorated room, and soon after I know where I am.

_The candles in the holders on the walls, the dark stone walls, I'm back in Konoha, in the shelter under the mountain, in one of the private rooms reserved for VIPs. Though this one must be the Hokage's personal chamber and he must've been really worried about me to put me in here, no doubt there are guards outside the door._

I feel a strange coldness in my head, not enough to bother me or distract me, but it's definitely there, a small part of mind somehow chilled.

_What happened?_

"Ah, you're awake Hinata." Shino's voice enters my ears.

I spin my head toward the source of the noise, seeing Shino sitting on my left next to the bed on a wooden chair with a book in hand. He isn't wearing his sunglasses.

"What time is it?"

"It's past nine at night." He explains for me. "You've been out for over a day." He continues, nodding toward the other side of the bed. ""He hasn't left your bedside since we returned."

I look to the other side of the bed, and I see Naruto sitting there, his back bent forward and sleeping on his arms on the edge of the bed.

"Did it work?" I ask, looking at Shino.

Shino reaches down toward the floor, and a moment later picks up a small handheld mirror. He hands it to me, and I take it with my left hand, holding it so that it shows me my face, and more importantly my eyes.

_My eyes retina and sclera are silver now, and concentric black rings surround the pupil. I wonder if I can still use the Byakugan._

I try to activate the dojutsu using the techniques taught to the Hyuga clan members, but nothing happens, confirming that I no longer carry the dojutsu.

"You were physically fine after the transfer do you want or need anything now that you're awake?"

"A glass of water would be nice." I speak, and Shino immediately closes the book, standing up.

"I'll tell Minato-sama and Kushina-sama on the way to get your glass of water. You may want to wake up Naruto and let him know that you're awake and all right."

I nod in understanding, and Shino leaves the room after that, opening the door and closing it without a sound. With him gone, Naruto and I are alone, and I look down at my sleeping lover, and I can't help but hesitate before I wake him.

_Will he still like me since I have the Rinnegan now? My feelings for him haven't changed since I went under for the transplant. Though, if he really cares about _me_, this minor change won't mean anything._

With that thought in mind I reach out toward his sleeping form, gently touching his shoulders I shake him.

"Naru-kun, wake up." I speak aloud.

Almost immediately he reacts, I pull my hand away as his body shakes against the bed.

"Mmm…" He grumbles as he sits up.

He looks at me with eyes half veiled in sleep, blinking once, then twice…

It's like a spark shoots through him and he's suddenly wide awake and alert. He practically flies from the chair, wrapping me in a warm embrace filled with relief.

"Hime! You're awake!" He says with his head on my left shoulder, his relief apparent in his voice.

After a long embrace, he pulls his face back with his hands still on my shoulders. He looks at me with concern in his dark blue gaze.

"Are you all right? How do you feel? Do you need anything? Did I wake you up snoring?" He asks questions rapid fire, and I raise my right finger, putting it to his lips, and stopping his tirade.

"I woke up on my own and Shino was here until I asked him to get me something to drink." I explain for him, and he seems to calm down some.

"Are you sure you feel all right? Are you still you?"

_It sounds like he knows about Nagato's consciousness inside my eyes, but how is that possible?_

"I'm still me Naruto, honest." I answer him.

He looks at me for a long moment, and it's as though he's analyzing my speech and actions, as though it's possible that I could be someone else other than Hinata Hyuga.

"Although." I begin, and his eyes beckon me to continue. "I did speak with Nagato in my mind before I woke up."

"Like the Kyuubi?" He asks, and I nod.

"Though he's sealed in these eyes, not in my stomach." I explain, reaching up and tapping my temple with my right pointer finger.

He looks me in the eyes for a long moment, and I cannot begin to guess what he's thinking as he stares, and I quickly look away, feeling suddenly self conscious of the odd looking dojutsu now in my eye sockets.

"You look different with those eyes." He says with no anger or hatred, just an observation.

"Do you think it looks weird or ugly?" I ask, my voice cracking.

_The old me would be pushing her fingers together in embarrassment right now._

He shakes his head no, relief washing over me with his next words.

"No, it isn't weird or ugly, just different. You had different looking eyes before, and now it'll just take some getting used to your new ones."

The door suddenly opens and both Kushina and Minato step into the room, followed very closely by Shino who holds a canteen in his right hand, his book sticking out from the left hip pocket of his jacket. Both Minato and Kushina wear concern on their faces, and as light comes into the room through the door, I can see the front of a shinobi standing guard in front of the door and I imagine there are two guards posted at the door. Against the opposite wall I can see people sitting in the rather large hallway. They look like refugees, a shocked sadness hanging over them at having recently lost their homes.

_They're stuck out there and I'm sitting in here in comfort? That's not right; I don't deserve a private room while other people suffer in hallways._

Seeing that, I don't know what to say as Shino hands me the canteen, the door swinging closed on silent hinges.

"Here." He says, handing me the sealed container.

"Thank you." I manage to speak, staring down at the sealed container and not moving to open and drink it.

The room falls into silence as I stare down at the canteen, my mind moving in fifty different directions at once, not accomplishing anything.

"Weren't you thirsty Hina-hime?" Naruto speaks up, his voice shocking me out of the haze.

"Yes." I answer, removing the cap from the canteen and taking a large drink from the canteen.

Shino, Minato, Kushina and Naruto sit in patient silence as I drink, and when I empty the canteen, I wipe my lips on my bare right arm.

"If you're finished drinking, would you please look my way Hinata?" Minato asks in a gentle voice.

_He wants me to look at him?_

I do as he asks, looking at the man in the eyes, and it's as though he's seeing my face for the first time.

"So, that's what it looks like." He mutters, and it hits me like a ton of rocks.

_He must want to actually see the Rinnegan in my eyes. He probably was more than a little skeptical at hearing that I underwent a transplant, and he wanted to see for himself whether or not it was true._

"How do you feel Hinata?" Kushina speaks up.

"I feel, all right, considering everything that's happened."

Minato smiles slightly.

"That's good to hear, now that you've got the same dojutsu as the Sage of Six Paths…" He trails, and I shake my head no.

"Right now, these eyes aren't much good for anything other than letting me see things." I explain for him. "And the people of the village probably want my neck in noose because of what happened."

Minato shakes his head, one of the Namikaze grins coming to his features.

"No, quite the opposite Hinata." Minato says while wearing the grin. "Your fighting Pain delayed him in his rampage, and allowed nearly all of the people in the area around Pain to be evacuated. Plus the shinobi of the village who assisted in the evacuation weren't hesitant to tell the people that you were the one working to protect them. And in spite of my best efforts to the contrary, word has begun to spread that you've returned with the Rinnegan, and it's giving the people hope, something they need desperately now if they're all going to get through the struggle of rebuilding ahead of everyone." He explains. "The council is in session now, preparing the proper response for this unprovoked assault."

"What will the council do?" I ask.

"They'll probably want to see you now that you're awake." He informs me. "They'll want to see your Rinnegan for themselves and ask you how powerful you think you've become."

"The Rinnegan is useless to me now, until I can learn its jutsu and how to manipulate the other types of chakra."

"I see." He says in understanding. "For now I'll tell the council that you're still tired and need rest."

"Thank you." I thank him. "How goes the clean up effort?'

"People have just begun to sift through the rubble, for now what you need to concern yourself with is getting healthy and learning whatever it is you need to learn."

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Two hours later I'm still sitting in the same bed, rolling a scroll in my hands. The scroll contains all of the secrets once passed down orally from clan leader to clan leader. I now wear my jacket but not the Sage haori.

_This scroll contains everything Hibana taught me before she died, and now I'm about to hand it all off to Neji-nii-san._

_ I can no longer be a part of the Hyuga clan. I don't have the Byakugan anymore and the Gentle Fist is useless to me. However, I still have a promise to keep to Neji-nii-san._

Slipping the scroll into a pocket, I stand up off of the bed and perform a transformation jutsu, transforming into an ANBU uniform with a fox mask. With the disguise safely in place, I move to the wall farthest from the door. Using the Rinnegan, I mold earth element chakra to create a passageway through the wall and down the hall from the door and the guards stationed outside the door of my room. Using genjutsu, which is much easier to use now that I've gained the Rinnegan, I exit out into the hall. Looking to my right I see the two shinobi dressed in shinobi uniforms standing guard outside the door.

_Looks like they don't know that I'm here. I should thank Jiraiya-sensei for teaching me his transparency jutsu. Without it I'd never be able to even get out of the room without going through an unnecessarily long process of asking permission from Minato. He'd never just let me go speak to Neji and hand him the secrets of the Byakugan and the Main House. _

I start walking down the hall, being careful to avoid the people walking the halls until I'm alone, before I undo the transparency jutsu. I walk down the halls as though I belong, seeing the people of the village in the halls, the same shocked sadness I saw on the people outside of the private room.

He's probably in the Hyuga manor, so I'll head there. Even if he isn't there, I'll be able to find someone who knows where he is.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, still transformed I approach the gate to the Hyuga Manor, stopping in front of the gate and the branch family member standing guard there.

"I have urgent business with Neji Hyuga." I tell the guard without preamble.

"Wait a moment please." He says.

With that, he slips inside the gate and I patiently wait for the man to reemerge from the manor. Five minutes later he reemerges from the gate, looking at my face behind the mask.

"Follow me." He says simply, opening half of the large gate and motioning me inside.

Following the man inside, I enter the Hyuga home and I'm lead through the manor. During the walk I take note of the people sitting in the halls, and in the open doorways I see multiple people in rooms that normally are unused.

_Is he opening the manor up to take in refugees?_

The branch member leads me to the clan head's office, and he opens the door for me, motioning for me to go inside.

"Thank you." I thank the branch family member before walking into the office, doing everything I can to keep my emotions concealed.

The branch member closes the door behind me, and I see Neji sitting behind the antique desk. Neji looks at me from behind the desk, looking up from the papers with an un-amused scowl.

"I thought you were supposed to be in bed, resting."

Immediately I undo the transformation, kicking myself mentally to think that I could fool someone with a level of perception as Neji.

"What do you wish to speak with me about?" Neji asks, cutting to the point.

"Do you remember the promise I made to you when we took the Chunin exams?"

"I do, what's your point?"

"I have not been doing everything I can to fulfill that promise, but that's going to change."

"You have been very busy since you left the village." He reminds me with a hint of anger in his voice.

I reach into the pocket that contains the scroll, and I withdraw it before handing it to him lengthwise.

"What is that?" He asks, staring down at the scroll.

"This scroll contains the methods for learning the secret jutsu of the Gentle Fist that was once passed from clan head to clan head. Everything grandmother taught me before she died is contained in this scroll."

He looks at the scroll with sudden reverence in his eyes.

"To write them down…" He begins, and I nod.

_Its breaking clan law to write them down, but I don't have a choice. I can't teach them anymore without the Byakugan, and Neji is smart enough that he'll be able to learn them from the directions in the scroll._

"After everything my father has done to you, you would still do this?"

"I no longer have the Byakugan, and therefore cannot use the Gentle Fist or any of its techniques. Therefore I no longer have a claim to the main house, so I can no longer fulfill my grandmother's wish to lead the clan. All I can do is leave the secrets in capable hands, and I'm choosing yours. From now on I am a Hyuga in name only,"

"I understand." He says, standing up from behind the desk.

He walks around the desk and takes the scroll from my hands, holding onto it like it's a precious treasure.

"Good luck, Hinata-sama." He says as I leave, calling me that for the last time.


	35. Chapter 35

(Well, here's Chapter 35. Not much to say, except I absolutely hate snow, and where I live has been bombarded with it over the last week and a half. Anyway, I have digging out to do, so enjoy the chap. By the way, the anime Dance in the Vampire Bund is being fansubbed, and I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't huge vampire fans, the story is good, and what the anime is doing with it is really interesting. Anyway, that's all for now folks! R&R if you want.)

Chapter 35: The Summit

Nearly an hour later I sit atop Minato's giant stone head, carved into the side of the mountain alongside the First, Second and Third Hokages. The moon hangs in a waxing crescent in the sky, casting pale light over the village and the area leveled thanks to Nagato's attack.

_So much death, so much destruction. Now his eyes are __my own._

I sit with my left leg out straight, my right leg bent and my right arm resting on my knee. Sitting there, looking at the village below, I can honestly say I've never felt so much loss before in my life.

_Even during the Chunin exams, people died, but it wasn't like this. Those were ninja that attacked this village, and during an event where the majority of the population was in the stadium and those people were spared. This wasn't a military strike by a foreign nation; this was an attack by a terrorist. So many lives have suffered because of this, so many homes destroyed…_

"It could have been much worse." Nagato's voice whispers in my ear, not a hint of resentment or apology in his voice. "Your Hokage was well prepared, had he not; I would have killed many more."

For a moment I think about gouging the eyes from my sockets, weighing the prospect of being forever blind against getting the murder's voice out of my head.

"Shut up." I mutter, scowling in anger.

To see the aftermath of so much destruction and death is a sobering sight, though Nagato appears unfazed.

_He thought he was doing what was necessary for peace. He was prepared to make sacrifices for his beliefs, can you?_

"I need to learn to master these eyes." I mutter, rubbing at my left temple. "I have to become as strong as Nagato was, no, even more powerful."

"You're right." His voice whispers.

I take a deep breath, moving into a meditative posture. I close my eyes and put my hands on my knees. Taking another deep breath, I relax the muscles in my body, my entire being settling into oneness with the world around me as I begin to meditate.

* * *

When I open my eyes I stand in a hallway inside the bunker in my mind ankle deep in water. Nagato stands ahead of me in his younger appearance, how he looked before he became Pain. His expression is stoic, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you talking about? I'm sick of the whispering in my ears. I'm not going to sit there and look like I'm insane!"

His expression doesn't change.

"I doubt that Madara will hesitate to send Sasuke to Konoha, now that I've failed to capture you. I also highly doubt that Sasuke will be alone. Madara will come himself, or send one of his remaining subordinates to watch Sasuke and make sure he doesn't fail."

"Sasuke knows the locations of the bunkers, and he has a perfect Sharingan now." I mutter.

"Thanks to _you_." Nagato says sarcastically.

"He'll be able to massacre the civilians hiding in the bunkers, and so would anyone he's got with him." I mutter in disbelief.

"The only thing standing between him and those civilians is you and any shinobi your Hokage can scramble against him. I witnessed his raid against Akatsuki, and I watched his duel against Madara. He is a living powerhouse, virtually undefeatable with Mangekyo. You will need everything I knew and then some to stand against him."

"Can you teach me like this?"

He nods, then he looks over his shoulder, down the dark hall toward the chamber with the bars, and the Kyuubi contained there.

"I had no idea the Kyuubi's chakra was so intense, so filled with hatred."

"We don't have time to talk about thing!" I snap with impatience in my voice.

A roar resonates from deep within the bunker, and I can feel the Kyuubi's anger in the roar.

Nagato turns back to me, a slight smile on his face.

"This will go much smoother in a place a little more private."

In an eye blink both he and I suddenly stand in a white void stretching as far as the eye can see.

"This should do it." Nagato says with a grin.

"What did you do?" I ask, looking around the white nothingness in bewilderment.

"I took us to a portion of my consciousness. Here we won't have to worry about the demon bothering us while I train you."

"Then let's begin." I say without hesitation.

"All right. First, the Rinnegan allows the user to manipulate the six different types of chakra freely, Fire, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Water and finally the sixth type, Yin-Yang."

I raise my eyebrows in questioning.

"I've never heard of Yin-Yang chakra."

"That's because almost no one is capable of using it, very few shinobi are even aware of its existence. A person's mindset greatly impacts their ability to use it. They must be absolutely calm since Yin-Yang chakra is created when both light and dark chakra are perfectly mixed. If a person is filled with negative emotions, as I was, they'll be unable to successfully create and manipulate it." He explains for me. "However, I believe your upbringing, with the calm granted to you by your grandmother, will allow you to mold this sixth type, and use it."

"That's all well and good, but I don't have time to sit and learn to mold a new type of chakra! I have to learn the skills you used against me during your attack on our village."

"I can teach you what I know, but those techniques are all techniques bound to the Rinnegan. They are all inherently dangerous and they all have their downsides. One of the reasons I chose to separate them into six different bodies was to make management and use easier. Some are so chakra intensive that they will leech away your chakra while you use it, even after you've formed the jutsu."

"I have to know, whatever the cost."

He smiles, but it isn't a friendly smile, it's a smile of approval.

"Good girl." He says approvingly. "I will teach you as much as I can, I can only hope you're ready."

* * *

"Hina-hime?" Naruto's voice seems distant. "Hina-hime!?"

I open my eyes, my senses flooding back to me as I find myself back on top of Minato's monumental head. Immediately I feel the cool night air against my skin, the cold stone beneath my back. Glancing around I see that I am surrounded. Not only is Naruto near me but so is Shino, Minato, Kushina and even Neji all stand around me. Naruto crouches down near my head, and he has a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask, glancing around nervously.

Minato scoffs, shaking his head slowly.

"You disappeared from your room." Naruto says before shaking his head. "We were all worried about you, that maybe you got kidnapped or some weirdo Akatsuki somehow snuck in and spirited you away."

"I must've fallen asleep."

"Well, don't do it again!" Naruto scolds me. "You scared the crap out of me and nearly started a panic."

"Why did you leave your room without asking permission Hinata?" Minato asks; no anger or accusation in his voice.

"There was something I had to do, and after I did it I just felt like coming up here."

"You have the same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths, and that means that people are going to be worried when you up and disappear." He explains to me.

_That's __new. __Before I became a Sage the people of the village would rather me just up and disappear because I'm the Jinchuriki. Now they're worried about me?_

* * *

The next morning I stand in the village council chamber. I'm dressed in my Sage haori and my mission gear. In front of me in a near full circle sits the entire council of the village of Konoha. The only break in the large circular chamber is a section behind me to allow someone to enter and step into the center of the chamber. Directly in front of me sits Minato, and on either side of him sit village leaders and the advisors to the Hokage. Other than Minato, I recognize Jiraiya and Tsunade as well as Neji. One that stands out is a man with bandages wrapped around half of his face, dressed in black robes over white robes with an arm in a sling, his other hand holding a cane. His hair is short and dark, and he has an X shaped scar on his chin. He has a scowl on his face, and the look he is giving me makes me want to sit with my back to a wall, kunai in hand.

"So, you believe yourself to be on the same level as the Sage of Six Paths?" An old man with gray hair and glasses asks.

I shake my head no, looking at him calmly.

"I just received the Rinnegan. I have only mastered a fraction of its power."

"She has already learned a new jutsu." Minato speaks up.

"And what might that be?" An older woman with gray hair asks, sitting next to the old man in glasses.

"Hinata, a demonstration please." Minato says, sitting back in his chair.

Looking around the table, I see a man holding a small folding fan in his hands. I extend my right hand toward him. I use the bansho tenin, and the fan leaps from the man's hand, flying toward me. I catch the folding fan in mid air, a smile coming to my face.

"This jutsu allows me to manipulate gravity." I explain to them. "I can either pull something toward me, or I can violently push something away from me."

"Impressive." The man who once held the fan says in appreciation. "May I have my fan back?"

I nod, walking toward him, I hand him the folded fan and he gingerly takes it from me. He unfurls the fan as I turn around, walking back to the center of the table as he begins to fan himself.

"Are you all satisfied now?" Minato asks, and oddly, Neji is the first one to speak.

"Do you have any idea what Akatsuki might do now that their latest agent has been beaten?"

I nod.

"Yes, I believe that Akatsuki will dispatch Sasuke Uchiha to Konoha."

A murmur runs through the collected individuals, words whispered amongst themselves. The only one who doesn't react is Minato, who remains the picture of serenity.

"Sasuke has joined with Akatsuki?" The man with the X shaped scar asks.

I nod.

"Nagato told me that Sasuke has joined with Akatsuki." I explain. "I need to leave Konoha, so I can try and meet him before he arrives in the village."

"Sasuke would be the logical choice to send _if_ he has joined Akatsuki, but do you have any idea where Sasuke is now, or how he'll approach the village?" Minato asks.

For a moment I can't say anything, and then I sigh in resignation.

"Unfortunately, no." I answer.

_BAM!_ The doors to the room fly open, and my head spins around to focus my attention on the noise, and for a half second I think that Sasuke has come to the village, but what I see immediately stops that thought.

Three shinobi, two women and a man stride into the room. One is a blonde haired kunoichi whose most obvious feature is her large breasts. She's wearing a black, short sleeve outfit with knee high open toed boots. She looks somewhat like a young Tsunade. Behind her a dark skinned woman with long red hair wearing black clothes with a white single strap flak jacket. She has yellow eyes, an angry scowl on her face and a sword on her back. Finally the man is dark skinned with short, spiky, silver hair. He has a lollipop in his mouth, and is dressed in similar clothes to the other dark skinned woman. All three of them wear Hidden Cloud headbands.

_Ninja from Kumogakure? What are they doing here?_

"Who dares to intrude on a private meeting?!" One of the council members declares.

The three shinobi appear unfazed by the outburst.

"I bear a message from the Raikage for the Hokage himself!" The large chested kunoichi declares.

I glance back at Minato, the older blonde keeping his expression in a calm mask.

"Go back to your room Hinata; we'll call for you when you're needed."

I nod, walking toward the three shinobi from the Hidden Cloud. I walk around them, doing everything I can not to brush against them or look any of them in the eye. As I walk through the door, I can't help but think about them.

_They have large amounts of chakra. They're probably all Jounin level shinobi, so what in the world are they doing here?_

* * *

An hour later I hammer a nail into place, securing the sign above Ichiraku Ramen Stand. Naruto is here as well, assisting with the reconstruction of the stand. He's been working himself ragged, splitting his effort between assisting the villagers with reconstruction efforts and rebuilding this stand.

_He's near his breaking point, as much as he tries to hide it, I can tell__._

Both Ayame and Teuchi are here, the two of them spend the majority of their days since the disaster cleaning up and rebuilding. They're both immensely grateful for our assistance, and have said that once the stand is rebuilt both Naruto and I will never have to pay for our food here again.

_That's generous, though it's also understandable. No one else is helping them, they've been abandoned due to the damage to the rest of the village, and Naruto and I are the only people who've shown any interest in helping them. They can't pay for shinobi from the village, because those that weren't hurt in the attack are busy doing missions to keep up appearances. If it ever got out how badly Nagato wounded Konoha, one of the other villages would be on us like flies to feces. _

I glance to Naruto, seeing him lean heavily against the side of the stand. His breathing is deep and haggard and there are dark circles under his eyes. When he sees me watching he stands up straight immediately as if to conceal his physical condition. Though with my new eyes, his condition is clear as day. I can see his chakra and he's running low. More importantly, I _know_ for a fact that he didn't sleep last night or _at all_ since I woke up after the transplant. I walk toward him, reaching out I gently touch his cheek, looking into his eyes.

"Naruto, you need to take a break." I gently speak, and he shakes his head no.

"There's too much work to be done, I can't stop." He barely speaks.

As if in response to the conversation, Ayame emerges from behind the rebuilt counter, walking toward us with a cup held in each hand in front of her.

"Here." She says, offering a cup to each of us. "You both need to drink something."

"Thanks." Naruto says, and I nod.

Naruto takes the cup of warm tea, and I do the same, drinking it slowly. Naruto practically gulps it down, wiping his lips on his sleeve and hands the cup back to Ayame who gratefully accepts it. I finish the tea a few moments later, handing the ceramic cup back to Ayame.

"Thank you. It was delicious."

She smiles, taking the cups back into the stand. I look at Naruto, who looks somewhat refreshed by the tea.

"Would you both like some more?" She asks, and I shake my head no, Naruto mirroring the reaction.

"You should go home and get some rest." I tell him. "I'll help them finish rebuilding."

He shakes his head no again, a resolute expression coming to his eyes.

"I can't go home and sleep while people are still working to rebuild their lives and their homes."

"You're no use to anyone exhausted, rest can be just as lethal as a kunai or an exploding tag, remember?"

He nods solemnly, accepting my advice.

"Are you _sure_ you can handle this?" He asks, and I nod.

"I am. All you need to concern yourself with is getting some sleep. You're exhausted Naruto." I remind him.

"I guess." He reluctantly agrees.

* * *

While Naruto and I work to assist the villagers, Shino works with his parents to rebuild the kikai colonies that were lost when Nagato released the Shinra Tensei. It's been five hours since Naruto left Ichiraku Ramen to get some rest, and night has since fallen. I'm on my way back to the bunker to turn in for the night.

_I wonder what those ninja from Kumogakure wanted; they said they had a message for the Hokage. What could t__he__ message be I wonder?_

I shake my head, clearing the thoughts from it.

_I don't need to worry about that kind of stuff. My job right now is to assist in the reconstruction of the village however I can and learn to master the Rinnegan. I can't leave the village without Minato's behest, so even if I want__ed__ to go look for Sasuke, without __knowing__ where he is I'd basically be wasting my time. He could be anywhere__._

People treat me differently now. After everything that's happened, the people of the village look at me with reverence and respect, not the anger and hatred from before. With Yamato's assistance, many of the buildings destroyed by the Shinra Tensei have been rebuilt.

_Though now _I _possess that power and more, the responsibility to use it properly__ is__ mine and mine alone. I have to use these eyes to help people, to heal the pain inflicted by Nagato, not just on Konoha but on the entire world__._

* * *

Less than an hour later I'm back in the bunker. I've showered and I'm sitting dressed on the bed in my private room. The lights are off.

_At least I can just relax, though I really don't think it's appropriate that I have this room while other people are made to sit in the hallways or in crowded storage rooms. At least the number of people residing here is decreasing, with__in__ a week, or maybe two, the reconstruction will be finished, and this bunker will be empty again._

_ That is, barring something else doesn't happen__.__I__t isn't as though there are__n't__twenty__ different things that could happen to bring catastrophe to the village. There's Akatsuki, Sasuke, and hell, even Orochimaru's goons are still out there somewhere, and Kami only knows what they've been doing. But what can I do about it? I'm needed here, plus I can't physically leave the village, per Minato's decree. He wants me here incase Sasuke decides to show up. He wants me here to defend the village until things get a little better__._

_ Knock, knock._

I hear the sound of a fist gently tapping against the door.

"Come in." I call out, sitting up on the edge of the bed closest to the door, watching as the door opens.

Naruto steps inside, dressed in a black t shirt and orange sweat pants. He looks as though something is bothering him, though his chakra has recovered nicely. He also looks like he got some sleep, the dark circles under his eyes are gone, and he generally looks healthier than he did at Ichiraku.

_I wonder what he wants, it's relatively late, maybe he can't sleep anymore and is worried about what got done at Ichiraku since he left, or maybe he feels guilty sleeping and wants someone to talk to__._

"What's wrong Naruto?" I ask in concern, and he steps into the room, closing the door behind him.

"I wanted to see you." He says while walking over to the bed. "I've been worried about you ever since you convinced me to take a break."

_He was worried that I might overexert myself?_

He stops, standing in front of me and not taking a seat on the bed. He stands at arm's reach, a solemn expression on his face.

"It was hard work, but thanks to this thing…" I trail, patting my stomach where the seal is forever marred against my skin. "I've got a lot of stamina."

"Both Ero-sennin and Tsunade-sama have been busy, along with mom and dad."

_Is he telling me he's lonely?_

"Well, it's to be expected, both of your parents are leaders Naruto, the same can be said for Tsunade and Jiraiya. If they don't do everything they can, then people will be outraged that they aren't helping with relief efforts."

"I guess so." He answers.

"Is there something wrong Naruto?" I ask.

I see him swallow the saliva in his mouth, and I can tell that whatever it is, it's making him nervous.

"Ever since you fought against Pa…err Nagato, I've had these feelings, and I don't know how to express…"

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad Naru-kun."

"I just felt so scared and worried when I heard that you went off to fight him alone."

"I had to fight him, if I hadn't he would've kept killing people and probably killed Kakashi Hatake, all in _my_ defense."

"I…" He stutters then stops.

I reach out; taking his hand in mine and give it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm not going to die on you Naru-kun." I assure him. "I intend to live a long life, hopefully with you, and I won't let anything keep that from me."

* * *

The next day, Naruto, Shino and I are all assisting with reconstruction. In Sage mode I carry a large load of debris in my arms toward a pile while Naruto and his shadow clones work as a small, well organized one man army. Shino and other Aburame are using their kikai's sense of smell to locate bodies as well as certain types of materials from the rubble. The materials that make up the destroyed buildings are being recycled, separated into components of wood, mortar and metal, and then reshaped using a special jutsu to be reused in new construction. The village council has been in session nearly constantly since the disaster, breaking only for six hours to allow the members of the council a chance to sleep. No one really knows what's going to happen now that Akatsuki has made such a brazen move against one of the five great hidden villages.

_Plus, I haven't been called back to see Minato since I showed the council my rudimentary mastery of the Bansho Tenin. Though, I shouldn't get full of myself. I'm just a shinobi and even with this new power I'm not the Sage of Six Paths and I hardly know how to use the Rinnegan. _

"Though, you are learning fairly well." Nagato's voice whispers in my ear. I ignore it.

Dropping the wooden debris into the proper pile, I stand up and sigh, looking up at the partly cloudy sky I drop out of Sage mode, flushing the natural energy from my body.

_Can't stay like that for extended periods, though at least I'm not that exhausted since I was running on Sage chakra._

I feel the air shift and the sounds of rapid movement whisper in my ears. I spin around to see three shapes dart toward me, and my hand darts for my kunai, getting ready to draw one as adrenaline rushes into my system. The shapes turn into the three cloud shinobi that burst into the council chamber earlier. They stop with ten feet between them and me. I stop my hand just above the holster.

The one in the middle, the light skinned kunoichi steps forward, the other two dark skinned shinobi staying silent as she approaches me, a look of barely contained disgust on her face.

"I am Samui, leader of Team Samui." The blonde confidently declares. "I am here to demand you tell me all the information you have regarding Sasuke Uchiha; his fighting style, abilities, anything that your village wouldn't list in its data." She says matter of factly.

"You are foreign shinobi in a foreign village. You have no right to demand anything from me or anyone here." I flat out deny her request.

Her serious expression doesn't falter.

"Sasuke Uchiha has attacked members of Kumogakure, assaulted Killer Bee-sama and has been officially declared a missing ninja by your village." Samui continues.

"I haven't heard anything of the sort, and until I do I suggest you learn to speak with some respect."

The dark woman steps forward, her hand drifting to the sword she wears on her back.

"You talk like a big girl." She says with anticipation in her voice.

I glare at the woman, channeling as much violence into my gaze as possible. The woman sees my eyes, and I can see her pause, reconsidering her act of openly attacking me.

"Who the hell are you girl?" The dark woman demands, holding her ground and not removing her hand from the hilt of her sword.

"I am just a shinobi of Konoha, nothing more."

The dark woman narrows her eyes in suspicion, and it doesn't take a ninja to see that she isn't buying my statement for a second.

"Bullshit! No 'normal' shinobi has eyes like that!" She astutely declares.

As if on cue, two figures approach me from behind, seemingly coming out of nowhere. I recognize both of them without having to turn around and look. The Kumogakure shinobi keep their hostile glares in place, the arrival of two more Konoha shinobi doing nothing to check their attitude.

_Naruto, Shino…_

With the Namikaze on my left, and the Aburame on my right, a silence falls over the six of us. I glance left and I can see Naruto's readiness to come to blows, his arms and legs twitching in restraint. Shino has his hands in his pockets, his stoic expression unreadable behind his dark sunglasses. I look to the three Kumogakure shinobi, watching them, I can see the hesitation in their stances, and they weren't expecting resistance.

_Maybe they're wary because of me? They know my eyes are using a dojutsu but they don't know what, and until they do they don't wanna risk getting into a fight with someone they know little about. Then there's the fact that they probably know I'm the Jinchuriki__._

I open my mouth to try and diffuse the situation, when eight ANBU move like lightning, all of them land between us. Half of them face toward Naruto, Shino and I while the other half faces the foreign shinobi.

"The Hokage wishes to see you three." An ANBU in a hawk mask says to me.

"The Hokage wants to see you." I hear another male voice speak toward the foreigners.

_Great, we all go get to see Minato together, that's gonna fly like a lead balloon__._

* * *

We walk together into the village council chamber. Shino, Naruto and I walk behind the four ANBU, with the second set of ANBU behind us separating us from the foreign shinobi. As we walk in, I can't help but notice that Minato and the other elders sitting behind the table look worn out.

_Minato looks like he hasn't slept in days. _

Once we are standing in the middle of the round table, Minato puts his arms on the table, bends them at the elbows and steeples his fingers.

"You're here so I can inform you that I've decided to call a summit of the Kage." He says, and then his gaze drifts to the three Kumogakure shinobi. "You three have been requested to act as the entourage for the Raikage, and you're to meet him there." Minato says before touching a scroll on the table he slides it forward.

The one called Samui walks forward, taking the scroll and unfurling it, looking at it with an analytical expression. Putting the Kumogakure shinobi aside, Minato turns his attention toward me.

"Naruto, Hinata, I am hereby requesting the two of you accompany me to this summit."

_WH-WHAT?_

My jaw drops open, and I don't know what to say as Shino steps forward, raising his gaze and looking Minato in the eye.

"Are you sure only two shinobi are sufficient as bodyguards Hokage-sama?" Shino asks with respect in his voice. "These three are accompanying the Raikage, so would it not be intelligent to take a third shinobi with you to what is essentially a giant target not only for Akatsuki but any other criminal shinobi?"

Minato smiles at Shino, shaking his head.

"As you know, Konoha hardly has an excess of shinobi in its current condition and I feel that it would be wiser to keep as many able shinobi in the village to defend it rather than have them accompany me to what is likely going to be a peaceful discussion."

I open my mouth to say something, to point out that I'm the Jinchuriki and my having the Rinnegan now will only cause problems, but I catch myself.

_If you say something with these three around you'll be giving the fact away that you have the demon sealed inside you. Do you really want to tell three _foreigners _who _aren't _bound by Minato's law not to speak about the Kyuubi? _

"Do you have something to say, Hinata Hyuga?" Minato asks his tone permissive and compelling.

For a second I don't say anything, afraid of what might come.

_He wants you to say something; he wants you to speak your mind, so speak!_

As much as I want to say something I don't, instead I hang my head.

"No, Hokage-sama." I answer.

"If there are no objections, we leave first thing tomorrow morning." Minato says.

_The question is should I really be going?_

* * *

An hour later I sit atop Minato's monument in a meditative pose. I'm using the Sage Mode, trying to learn how possessing the Rinnegan might affect my ability to draw in and manipulate natural energy. As I sit, I can safely say that it's actually easier to use the Sage Mode now that I have the Rinnegan, since the Rinnegan allows the user to freely manipulate any form of elemental chakra. I don't want to run the risk of the Rinnegan interfering with the Sage Mode so I'm practicing before I might need to rely on it in life or death combat.

I glance down at the village, and a smile comes to my face as I see that sixty percent of the village that was destroyed by Nagato's Shinra Tensei has been rebuilt.

_Yamato-taicho has been busy, plus everyone has pulled together and is working together in the spirit of recovery. _

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, allowing my mind to drift off.

_I have to talk to Nagato again, see if there's something else I can learn before tomorrow__._

* * *

The next thing I know I'm in the white void, standing apart from Nagato. The young man smiles at me, obviously happy to see me once again.

"Back for more training?" He asks with a smile. "This will be our fifth session in just as many days you know." He explains for me. "Though that damn demon keeps pushing at me, trying to force his chakra into your eyes."

"I'm surprised you can filter out the demonic chakra from my normal human chakra."

"It's difficult, but I can't be stained by the demon, not until after I've taught you everything I can."

Somehow, Nagato has been able to keep the red chakra from entering my eyes, only allowing the pure blue chakra to enter into his eyes.

"Sorry." I apologize, and he waves his hand dismissively.

"Don't apologize all the time, it doesn't suit you." He says. "Besides, I knew what I was getting into when I offered you my eyes."

"So, what's next on the training schedule?" I ask, changing the subject.

A grin spreads on his face.

"You need to practice the Shinra Tensei." He tells me. "You need to learn to use it to deflect projectiles, using a small application of force rather than a giant wave. If you use it like you do now in combat repeatedly, it will drain even your chakra with repeated use."

I sigh in resignation.

"I knew this was coming." I mutter, and his grin doesn't falter as he holds out his hands, kunai materializing in them.

"We'll work until you get the hang of it." He explains. "The good news is the added benefit will help you sense shifts in air currents and detect those same shifts quicker."

* * *

Four hours later I stand in front of Nagato, still in my mind. He has kunai held between his fingers, the knives coming from a seemingly endless supply.

"I think I've finally got the hang of it." I say through heavy breathing.

I'm nearly exhausted. I've been doing nothing but using the Shinra Tensei over and over again to deflect kunai, trying to focus and learn to pinpoint the exact point where I need to alter gravity to deflect the kunai. It's actually _a lot_ harder than it sounds. Though it would be better if I were in Sage mode while fighting, that way I have that much more energy to fight with.

"Good job, though do try to be careful. Remember that there is a two second delay between uses of the Shinra Tensei."

I nod, breathing heavily and feeling exhausted like I've never felt before.

_Sleep will be awesome after this__._

* * *

The next morning Minato, Naruto and I are packed and ready to go. We each wear hiking packs for the long journey ahead. Kushina and Shino are here as well as Shibi, Shiroi and even Neji and Natsume have come, in spite of Neji's newfound status.

"Well, we're ready to leave." Minato comments.

_I still think this is a bad idea, no matter how much Minato wants me here. I think that my presence along with my eyes will be a sign to the other nations that Minato is flaunting having the Rinnegan. Though he says he wants me there because supposedly I carry the hopes and dreams of the people of the village._

"I still don't know if I'm ready to be a symbol." I speak up.

Minato shakes his head.

"People ready to be symbols never do." He explains for me. "They just do what they can and what they know is right and hope things turn out for the best."

"But I haven't fully mastered the Rinnegan."

"The Mountain Toads chose you to be a Sage Hinata." Minato responds. "I have every faith in you."

_Well, that's reassuring, I guess__._

"We all have faith in you Hina." Naruto says reassuringly.

"I concur." Shino speaks up.

Both Shibi and Shiroi nod approvingly, and Neji and Natsume both smile. Kushina approaches me, looking me in the eyes and putting her hands on my shoulders. She has a sly smile on her face.

"As my future daughter-in-law you need to have more confidence in yourself!" Kushina scolds me. "You're already a fine shinobi Hinata, and I'm sure that you being at the summit won't change much of anything. The other Kage won't even notice you."

"I guess…" I reluctantly agree.

* * *

After Minato and Naruto said good bye to Kushina; Shino, Neji and Natsume all gave their good byes and we were on our way. It's been a few hours since then, and Naruto and I walk behind Minato as we head toward the Land of Iron, the neutral nation where the summit between the five Kage will take place. I walk on Minato's left, and Naruto is an arm's length away from me on my right. All three of us have our packs on our backs and there's been little conversation since we cleared the village.

"This summit will likely be very tense." Minato begins, breaking the silence that had fallen over the three of us. "You two will need to keep your guard up the entire time, in case something should happen." He reminds us.

_I don't even want to think about that, what could possibly happen that would be a cause for concern for the __five__ most powerful shinobi in the world__._

I force myself not to interlace my hands and try to activate the Byakugan. After sixteen years of life with eyes in the back of my head, it's extremely unnerving _not_ to have access to it.

"Something wrong Hina-hime?" Naruto asks, and I glance to my right to see him looking at me with concern on his face.

"Yeah." I answer, breathing a sigh. "I'm just a little nervous. This is my first mission since I lost the Byakugan and I never realized how reassuring it was to be able to see all around me and know that nothing's there."

"You really shouldn't worry." Naruto says, dismissing my anxiety.

"Agreed." Minato speaks up. "My face is easily recognizable, and anyone dumb enough to attack the three of us deserves what they get."

_Just who does he think would try to attack him like that? He's the Yellow Flash of Konoha, one of the most feared and respected shinobi in the world. Orochimaru maybe?_

I feel the tendrils of worry begin to worm their way into my mind. I quickly shut down the train of thought, knowing that if I keep thinking about that I'll only lose focus on what's important.

We keep walking, and I can feel Naruto's eyes on me as we walk.

"You still feel anxious about not having the Byakugan?" He asks, and I nod.

_There's _that_ and then there's also…_

"I just feel like I don't belong here as a bodyguard to the Hokage." I speak up, and Minato sighs in exasperation.

He looks back at me with a weary expression on his face, as though he's had this argument multiple times, and is sick of dealing with it.

"You're a hero to the village, you have firsthand experience with Akatsuki and you have powers and abilities that no other shinobi has in the world." Minato tells me matter of factly. "I want you with me watching over me. It helps me to know that someone with the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths is watching me, it keeps me thinking about how people are going to remember my actions and that motivates me to do the right thing." He explains for me.

I look away from him, feeling a little overwhelmed by the statement.

_I'm his moral compass?_

"A part of me just thinks that this is all a dream, you know?" I ask. "I feel like I'm going to suddenly wake up and everything will go back to the way it was before Nagato came to Konoha."

Naruto smiles at me, giving me a thumb up.

"I'm not going anywhere, and if I'm dreaming, I'd rather not wake up."

I feel my face flush at the sentiment that he would choose to be with me even if he could reset the disaster that has befallen the village.

"I think I'd rather not wake up either." I answer.

"Ah, to be young and in love." Minato whispers wistfully.

My face turns even redder, and I feel like I could die from embarrassment right then and there, until Minato stops in his tracks, and I feel a chill run down my spine.

_Danger, something's amiss. I can feel it__._

I look to Naruto, and I can see the awareness in his bright blue eyes.

"I can feel it too." He whispers, and I look to Minato.

"I'll handle this; you two don't move a muscle." Minato says while his hands slide back into the sleeves of his Hokage robe.

From the forest around us four men leap out as Minato spins, flinging kunai out in seemingly random directions. Some of the knives stab into the ground, while others land in trees, and either through design or just dumb luck, no kunai lands within three feet of another, all of the kunai have tags attached to their rings.

It's then that Minato disappears but unlike Naruto who vanishes in a golden blur, Minato is simply there one second, gone the next. I blink and the Hokage reappears, a bloodstained wakizashi held in each hand in a reverse grip. I glance around, and in that moment the four bodies collapse to the ground, bleeding. They all lie face down and I can't even begin to imagine how he was able to take out all four of them in what only felt like a second or two. I watch as Minato calmly walks to one of the corpses, grabbing a clean piece of clothing and using it to clean the blood from his weapons before he slides them back into his robes. After that, he calmly collects his kunai, returning them to their holsters while Naruto and I watch.

_He's still so powerful, even at his age he's absolutely merciless, those idiots didn't stand a chance__._

_ Then again, both Jiraiya and Tsunade-sensei are even older than he is, and you wouldn't want to tangle with either of them, so don't judge people by their age, because if a shinobi lives to be old, they're usually damn powerful__._

* * *

Several hours later Minato, Naruto and I approach the border with the Land of Iron. I've since put on a cloak to hide my face and eyes and while Minato does not like it, he does agree that it's intelligent at least until we arrive at the Kage summit.

_After all, word has spread that someone with the Rinnegan has appeared in Konoh__a__ and people__ will__ want to meet the 'hero' with the same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths__._

We approach a guard station, one of many that sit on the border with the Land of Iron. The country itself has erected a wall around it to protect itself from foreign invaders, and shinobi are practically non-existent inside the walls.

_Minato said that they were building the wall when the previous summit was held, and it was after those events that the leader of the Land of Iron decided to wall off his country to try and prevent criminals like Akatsuki and Orochimaru from getting into his country and getting his land involved__ in foreign affairs._

The men are dressed in full body armor, and hold long spears pointed toward the sky.

"Stop!" One of them gruffly commands, and we obey, even though we're still fifteen feet from the guard station.

"One of you will slowly walk forward and show your identification papers and explain your reason for travel to the Land of Iron." The same guard says.

Minato walks forward, having already told us on the trip that this is what would happen and that he is prepared to do all the talking. As Minato slowly walks forward, one of the guards walks to meet him, meeting him halfway between where we stand and the guard station.

"Travel papers, now." The guard commands, and Minato obliges, handing the man an open scroll.

The guard takes it, reading the information contained, he hands the scroll back a few moments later, seemingly satisfied with what he sees. He looks at Naruto, then me, his eyes lingering on me.

"She is my son's fiancée." Minato explains. "I would trust her with my life."

"Why does she hide her face?"

"It is customary in her family when they are engaged to hide their face from anyone but their husband." Minato explains.

_While it is true that some families in Konoha practice that custom, I _do not. _However it is a widely known custom and it's a convenient excuse. _

The guard seems to accept that, and he motions for us to pass. Minato motions for the two of us to come forward, and we follow him through the gate and into the Land of Iron proper.

"I know the site of the summit, so just follow me." Minato says. "Fortunately, it will be held at the same place it was held last time."

"By the way Hokage-sama, who accompanied you to the last summit?"

"I had Yamato and Haruka accompany me." Minato explains. "They were both in their ANBU gear, and I was the only one who had actual masked ANBU with me."

* * *

An hour later the three of us approach the meeting chamber; we're inside a tower built specifically for high profile meetings like this. Two guards stand outside, and they stop the three of us before we enter the chamber.

"Your bodyguards will have to wait outside the meeting chamber." The guard informs us.

"Where are the other bodyguards?" Naruto asks, looking around.

"They too are waiting outside the chamber." The guard informs us.

Minato puts his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"It'll be all right." Minato assuages, and Naruto nods.

Minato walks into the room, and I keep my hood up over my eyes to make sure the guards don't see my eyes. Naruto and I walk through a door on our left, into a room that runs around the meeting chamber and I can see people in the room, waiting patiently for the meeting to begin. The room is technically outside the meeting chamber, but there is no wall between the waiting chamber and the meeting room.

Looking into the room I see the five Kage and a strange man dressed in black with an odd mustache sitting apart from the five. He has bandages on his head and a pointed beard on his chin. He has a sword at his waist, and he carries an air of authority around him.

"Well, now that you are all here, I'll be beginning this summit." He says. "My name is Mifune, and I am the leader of the Land of Iron and general of its entire force of Samurai."

_So he's the leader of the Land of Iron? __H__e's the reason that the country is walled in now, but I guess whatever it takes to maintain your country's peace__, right?_

"As the only party not involved in this ordeal, I will be your moderator for the duration of this summit." Mifune explains.

The Raikage waves his hand dismissively.

"It's the same as last time Mifune. You don't have to explain yourself all over again." He says with annoyance in his voice.

The man is dark skinned with white hair that's been slicked back close to his skull. He's a muscular man, and around his waist he wears a gold belt with a lion's head at the center. He also has a few wrinkles, a small moustache and even a little pointed beard. I can make out the hints of what look like two black shuriken tattoos on his shoulders, and on his wrists he wears two golden bands.

Looking around the table, there is only one woman. She is a relatively young woman. Her hair is russet red and hangs down past the table. Her right eye is concealed by her hair and at least her left eye is green. Her hair is tied on the top of her head with a blue band, and she's wearing a blue garment over a mesh web body suit. She's somewhat bright, wearing a smile during what could easily be considered a somber occasion. She wears the robes of the Mizukage.

The one wearing the robes of the Tsuchikage is a balding older gentleman. He has a triangular beard and an angled mustache. He has a ring of hair around his head, the top of his head bald, and the hair at the ring of hair is tied into a pony tail. All of his hair is white, and he has a big nose and eyebrows to match Rock Lee's. He wears a green garment, and appears to be quite short of stature.

Rounding them out are Gaara and Minato in their traditional robes.

"As you all are well aware, the Hokage has called this meeting, so he shall be the one to open this summit." Mifune explains.

"Konoha was attacked." Minato begins without preamble. "My people were killed and the group responsible is Akatsuki. I called this summit and gathered you all here today to confirm your intentions towards this group and to met out justice for those responsible in assisting these criminals in perpetrating their crimes."

"I was personally kidnapped by Akatsuki not too long ago." Gaara speaks up. "They nearly destroyed my village in the process."

"Six months ago there was an attempt made on my brother!" The Raikage growls.

_His brother must be the Hachibi. _

The Raikage then glares at the Mizukage.

"Akatsuki started in the land of mist!" He says in accusation, then turning his head toward the Tsuchikage. "I'm afraid that there may be sympathizers to their cause in this very room!"

"I've never once considered Akatsuki for work!" The Mizukage shoots back.

"Liar!" Raikage snaps. "All of you save for the Hokage have had dealings with Akatsuki at one point or another!"

"I'm not aware of any such dealings." Gaara speaks up.

"_You_ are far too young to properly control your village and your own government has made back alley dealings with them due to the increasing levels of disarmament your feudal lord has imposed on you!"

"Someone can't be faulted for wanting to save money rather than spend it hiring shinobi from another village." Minato speaks up. "The appeal of Akatsuki is obvious, and quite hard to resist during a tough economy."

The glare that the Raikage gives Minato is unmistakable.

"You best watch what you say Hokage, lest you lead us to believe _you_ sympathize with Akatsuki."

"I would never consider Akatsuki for work." Minato says simply. "I just understand that someone might be tempted to use them on a low impact mission to save money."

"Focusing on past mistakes won't get us anywhere." The elder Tsuchikage speaks up. "We are all threatened by Akatsuki, we need to stand united against them, not bicker amongst ourselves!"

The Raikage huffs in anger, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're right, though you hired Akatsuki for work more than anyone here." The Raikage accuses him.

"So, what are you proposing Hokage?" Gaara asks.

"I'm proposing temporarily uniting our governments." Minato says.

"Such a thing isn't possible!" The Tsuchikage snaps and Minato clears his throat.

"When the First Hokage founded Konoha, he united two warring clans and formed the fifth great village. If that is possible, how is it not possible to unite our nations in times of need?"

Minato's words have a big impact, and the four of them are silent for a long moment, that is until the Tsuchikage speaks up.

"How would such unification be run?" He asks.

Minato shakes his head.

"I don't mean to imply that I have all the answers and know how to run such a grouping, just that I _know_ it is possible and it will require a lot not just from us but from our people."

Gaara nods his head in agreement.

"Our people will naturally distrust one another and it's possible the leader of such an alliance will abuse his position to an advantage over the others once this crisis is over."

"My country and I are neutral in all of this." Mifune speaks up. "I would be happy to lead this Alliance, if you will have me."

"I think not!" The Raikage snaps in a knee jerk reaction. "I won't stand for someone who is _not_ a Kage to lead us. Someone without a stake in the conflict won't have the resolution necessary to win."

The other three all nod their assent, and then Minato stands, putting his hands on the table.

"I do not wish to be included in the list of candidates for leadership." Minato says, and Raikage raises an eyebrow in questioning.

"Are you giving up your position as Kage?"

Minato shakes his head no.

"No. I just can't in good mind want the position."

"Why?" The Tsuchikage asks.

"Whoever is given that position will have the responsibility of dealing with this crisis single handedly and I for one do not want a possible failure of that magnitude on my conscience." He explains. "I will do everything in my power to support the chosen leader in their course of action, but I don't want the responsibility of choosing that course."

They're all quiet after that, taking in Minato's logic behind his decision.

"I may offer a method of choice for supreme leader." Mifune speaks up.

"And what may that be?" Raikage wearily speaks up.

"You all agree that my nation and I are neutral in this conflict and that whoever is chosen as leader won't affect me or my nation in the least whether this alliance wins or loses against Akatsuki."

"Old wisdom would say that you would be wiser to keep the devil you know, rather than the devil you don't." Raikage speaks up.

Mifune smiles at the Raikage.

"Your point only further supports that I should choose a proper leader, lest _I_ be subjected to 'a devil I don't know.'"

At that the Kage are silent, and wordless glances are exchanged around the table before the Raikage finally nods his assent.

"I have no protest to that." The Raikage speaks, and the others, including Minato all agree.

"Good." Mifune begins. "Now I will choose one of you to assume supreme leadership over this united shinobi government."

His eyes scan the Kage as he falls quiet, and silence fills the room. He looks at each of them in turn before his eyes settle on Minato.

"Hokage-sama, I have a question for you."


	36. Chapter 36

(Well, this is Chapter 36. I sent this to my beta over a month ago but some things have happened and he's been really busy, so I looked this over and did the work myself. The good news I have Chapter 37 already written, and I figured I'd post this to give the readers something new, since I normally update this story once a month.)

Chapter 36 Death of a Snake

**Flashback**

I lie next to Naruto, the two of us having just made love. We're both covered by the blankets of his bed, and as I lie there I can't help but feel loved.

"Hina-hime, can I ask you something?" Naruto asks with nervous quiver in his voice.

"Go ahead Naruto."

Having been around Jiraiya for 4 years I've learned a lot about the kinkier side of love making. While there are some things I absolutely will not do, there are others that if he wants to try them I'll experiment, but I'm not going to bring it up. I'm happy as long as he is, and I try to put that feeling into it when the two of us make love. The fact that it feels so good with him is an absolute bonus…

"Um, I heard from Sakura-san that the first time a woman is with a man it's supposed to hurt even bleed a little." He says with a flush of embarrassment.

"And…?" I ask curiously, knowing what he's getting at but wanting him to vocalize it.

"Did…Did Jiraiya ever put his hands on you!?" Naruto blurts out, equal parts fear and anger in his voice.

_He thinks that Jiraiya had sex with me while I was gone?_

"Naruto…no, he didn't." I explain, shaking my head.

"Then…were you…r…raped?" He asks in a low whisper.

"No Naruto, I was a virgin when I came to your bed."

"But…" He stammers, and I smile at him.

"I said I was virgin, I'd never had sex before, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily had to have my hymen in tact."

"W-what happened to it?" He asks, still blushing.

"Tsunade-sensei broke it for me with a chakra scalpel. I didn't want you thinking that you were hurting me our first time, and I wanted it to feel good when I did it with you."

"Oh…"

"Did it bother you that much that it didn't hurt me the first time we made love?"

"No…" He answers, his tone telling me that it did indeed bother him. "I just thought that…"

"That Jiraiya had his way with me?"

"Yeah, I mean he's a big pervert, and you seem to know what you're doing…"

I shake my head slowly.

"Jiraiya-sensei tried to 'teach' me like that once, and Tsunade-sensei beat the crap out of him for it. Afterward she gave me some books to read and broke my hymen at my request. If I knew it was going to bother you I wouldn't have done it."

"No! It doesn't bother me! I'm actually kinda happy you enjoy it too, I just couldn't stand the thought of that old geezer having his way with you under a pretense like training you for me."

"It's okay Naru-kun." I say with a smile. "I've never done this with anyone else, I promise."

He smiles, kissing me lovingly.

"Thank you Hina-hime."

"I love you Naru-kun."

"I love you too Hina-hime."

* * *

**Present**

"Hinata…?" Naruto's whispered voice pulls me from the memory, and I blink the memory away, refocusing on the present.

I quickly realize that I'm in the waiting area around the Hokage summit, listening to the five Kage deliberate creating a unified shinobi government.

"Is something wrong Hinata?" He mutters, and I quickly shake my head.

"No, I was just remembering something."

He nods in acceptance, looking into the chamber. The silence that has fallen over the five Kage and their moderator palpable.

"He's already given up any claim to leadership, what could you possibly have to ask him?" The Mizukage irately demands.

The Moderator, Mifune, looks at the woman with a mix of annoyance and disgust in his gaze.

"The appointment of leader is mine to make." He says matter of factly. "That means my questions are important, as are your acts of impatience attempting to rush me through this important decision."

Minato nods acquiescence, giving his permission to Mifune to ask his question.

"What you said earlier, about not desiring the position of leader and the reasons why, were you being truthful?"

Minato nods solemnly, his eyes gaining a far seeing expression.

"To be honest I never even wanted the position of Hokage." Minato says coolly. "I only took the position because Sarutobi asked me. I never even considered the position an option before that. I only want to rid the world of Akatsuki and create peace between the five nations."

"Oh? What if there can be no peace between you without an outside threat for you all to focus on?" Mifune asks curiously.

Minato shakes his head slowly.

"I truly and honestly believe that we can work past our differences and forge a lasting peace." Minato responds with a sincere voice.

Mifune looks at him a moment, taking in this new information along with everything that's happened. Mifune's eyes pan around the table, slowly analyzing each of the five Kage sitting at the table. After a moment he steeples his hands, his elbows on the table he closes his eyes, sighing as he relaxes into the chair, as though the enormity of his decision was weighing on him, and now that he's made a decision the weight is no longer present.

"I've made my decision." He says with his eyes closed, his hands steepled in front of his face.

"Well, what is it?" The Raikage asks in impatience, his fist smacking the table, the impact resonating in the chamber.

Looking at the five of them, I can only assume that Mifune will choose the Tsuchikage to be their leader. The Raikage has had two incidents where he's shown that he has a short temper. Mifune obviously doesn't like the female Mizukage, thinking that's she's impatient for speaking up and he probably just doesn't like women in general. Gaara is my age, so Mifune probably thinks he's far too young to lead an alliance of five nations. Minato would be perfect, however he's already given up his claim to lead the alliance, so that only leaves the elderly Tsuchikage…

"I choose Minato Namikaze, Hokage of Konoha as the most suitable leader."

The reaction is immediate. Almost in unison both the Mizukage and the Raikage stand up, both of their faces contorting in outrage.

"How could you choose the Hokage?" The Raikage demands in anger. "Are you stupid?!"

Minato sighs, sinking in the chair while Gaara merely nods approvingly, his face otherwise set in a calm mask, his fingers interlaced in front of his face, concealing part of his expression. The Tsuchikage is the only one who doesn't outwardly respond, his face apparently somehow chiseled from stone with his arms crossed over his chest. Mifune separates his hands, holding them up and asking for calm.

"Please calm down and take your seats." He says in a stern voice.

Both the Mizukage and the Raikage sit down, both of their expressions still very much outraged at Mifune's choice.

"The Hokage withdrew his bid for the position. How could he be the one you choose!?" The Raikage demands from Mifune, clearly unhappy with the decision.

"In my country there is a proverb: 'Only those who do not desire leadership are suited for it.'"

The Mizukage scowls in disgust.

"What is that garbage supposed to mean?" The Mizukage demands.

Mifune shoots the woman a look of disgust.

"It means that those who desire leadership have their own goals in mind when they pursue the position. Only those who understand how much work and responsibility it is not just to their peers but to the people they lead are willing to do what is morally correct and best for the whole." Mifune finishes explaining.

_Wow…_that's_ deep…_

Minato sits up in his chair, his face becoming a carefully neutral mask as Mifune continues speaking.

"Of you five…" Mifune begins. "Only three of you have not had emotional outbursts ill suited for a leader." He continues. "Those three are the Kage's of Tsuchi, Kaze, and Ho, and those three likely see the logic in my choice."

Both the Mizukage and the Raikage look around at their peers, seeing the other three Kage all calm and understanding, not a flicker of anger or outrage in their eyes.

"If either of you two were in my position…" Mifune begins, speaking to the Raikage and the Mizukage. "And you were to choose a leader, would you choose someone who has shown you that they can't control their emotions, or would you choose someone who knows his limitations and exhibits wisdom?"

After that the Mizukage and the Raikage are silent, contemplating the logic behind Mifune's words. It's then that the door to the room opens, and a samurai in full armor strides into the room. He walks straight to Mifune, leaning down he begins to speak, and with chakra in my ears I strain to listen.

"…Orochimaru…" I hear the samurai whisper.

_Orochimaru?_

I turn to Naruto, leaning in close I make sure to keep my voice low.

"I think Orochimaru is here." I whisper to Naruto, who blinks in surprise a moment, and then nods his understanding.

BOOM!

The building shakes, and my hands flash to the wall to brace myself as Naruto and the other bodyguard shinobi all brace themselves for a moment as the building's movement stops. The Kage all grip the table as the building shifts, and the samurai manages to keep on his feet in spite of the weight of the armor. Once the building has settled, Mifune stands up, looking at each of the five Kage in turn.

"The rogue Orochimaru is here." Mifune explains for them all.

The five Kage all blink in surprise, the name Orochimaru so well known among the shinobi world. Minato is the first to stand, resolution coming to his face.

"I'll handle this. Naruto, Hinata!" He calls to both of us.

Both Naruto and I move without thinking, and in a moment we're at his side. At this the eight other bodyguards appear near their Kage, a myriad mix of shinobi standing up to protect their respective Kage. The Raikage looks at me and blinks in outrage, his temper flaring as his eyes burn with anger.

"You _dare_ bring your Jinchuriki here!?" He demands in outrage.

"Hinata has the Rinnegan." Minato says matter of factly, and I clench my fists in surprise. "She isn't just a Jinchuriki anymore."

The four Kage look surprised, the bodyguards looking to their comrades curiously. Even the young Gaara, as the Kazekage is aware of the legends of the Sage of Six Paths and his legendary dojutsu.

"We're going." Minato says matter of factly.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Both Naruto and I agree in unison.

* * *

On the bottom level of the tower, in the lobby samurai have massed to repel the attackers. There are fifty samurai in the room, all of them wearing full armor with weapons drawn. There are six attackers in the room, and I recognize all six of them. Four of them hardly look human, and I recognize the four shinobi from the day Orochimaru attacked Konoha, the same four shinobi who created the barrier that imprisoned Minato and the Third Hokage along with Orochimaru as they did battle. However I only recognize those four because their hair colors and the fact that one of them has six arms. Other than that, none of them look completely human anymore. Their skin has all taken on a teal like tint, and I can see the chakra flowing in their systems. They all have unnatural looking chakra networks that look to be too bright and bristling with chakra. The woman has horns sticking out of her head, while one of them has two heads right next to each other on a single body. The third has six arms with a third eye open on his forehead. The fourth one is large and bulky, his hair down to his shoulders. These four shinobi tear through the samurai, making it look like child's play as they bash and cut through the samurai, the samurai's swords striking their flesh but not piercing their chakra enhanced skin. Standing back near the door, both Orochimaru and Kabuto stand with their arms crossed, watching the carnage with smiles on their faces. Most of the fifty samurai are dead, and those that are left are wounded, unable to stand as blood seeps from their bodies.

Suddenly tagged kunai fly from above, a wave of the knives coming down and stabbing into the floor around the four shinobi. The six of them look up, the massacre coming to a halt with the sudden arrival of the kunai. They all register surprise for a split second as they take in Naruto in his flash mode and me in Sage mode, the two of us standing with our feet attached to the ceiling. We stand with our arms hanging above our heads, each of us having thrown the kunai to allow the Yellow Flash to do his work. As if on cue, a yellow blur appears out of nowhere, a line of light appearing through both of the heads of the two headed man. I blink and see Minato standing there, a kunai in hand, the blade dripping red with the blood of the two headed man as the top halves of their skulls separate, sliding off and landing with barely audible thud, and Minato is already gone. The five remaining sets of eyes look to try and locate him, and the six armed man is next. Out of nowhere his body is sliced into cutlets, his six arms falling to the ground along with head, which is now in over eight pieces. The largest of them all raises his arms, getting ready to do something when Naruto disappears in a blur, four flash mode shadow clones appearing around the large man and kicking him into the air. Then a fifth Naruto appears from above, his heel driving into the fat man's skull with a sickening squish.

"Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto yells out, the strange fat shinobi's body going limp.

The fat shinobi lands face first, his skull caved in the shape of Naruto's heel. The last remaining shinobi, a kunoichi holds a flute. She raises her hands as if to use it, and she looks down only to see two stubs where her hands should be. Minato appears in a flash, holding what looks like a flute with two human hands still attached. Minato grins, a smile as he holds up the flute with her hands still attached, as if to say 'look what I got.'

"RAAAAAAH!" She roars in rage, her scream cut short as her head suddenly falls from her shoulders, hitting the ground with a thud.

It's then that the Minato holding the flute and hands disappears in a puff of smoke, the entire fight from the second the kunai land to the last of the four shinobi dead is only a matter of seconds. Orochimaru watches as his subordinates fall one by one. After the four of them are dead Naruto and I both drop and land near Minato, facing Orochimaru as the Snake Sannin laughs heartily.

"HAHAHAHA! As to be expected of the Hokage and his brat!" Orochimaru throws his head back and laughs with Kabuto at his side.

Glancing to Minato I see that his chakra network is at roughly 75% of its normal capacity. It's no wonder that he's expended a significant amount of chakra. Using not only the Flying Thunder God but the Shadow Clone Jutsu, both being chakra intensive jutsu, any non-Jinchuriki shinobi would have to expend a fraction of their chakra to fight like that. As we stand there the now dead bodies begin to change. Their skin reverts to more human color, and the horns and other oddities about them disappear as they slowly become human looking again.

Standing next to Minato his face is set in an expression of anger, his eyes burning with rage at the sight of the Sannin in front of him.

"Hinata…is that really Orochimaru?" He asks in a low whisper.

With the Rinnegan I can see that the man standing near the door isn't an imposter. His chakra supply is massive, and his system is almost inhuman.

"It is him." I confirm for my Hokage.

Minato turns his attention to Orochimaru, the anger never once faltering in his eyes.

"I watched you die." Minato growls.

Orochimaru laughs again.

"Ku-ku-ku, from what I'm told _you_ actually killed me."

"Then how are you alive? No normal human could've survived having their head cut in half." Minato responds.

Orochimaru's grin only seems to get wider.

"It's all thanks to Kabuto here…" Orochimaru grins. "If not for him I wouldn't be standing here right now."

Minato's muscles tense, and Orochimaru doesn't waste time. He slams his right palm on the ground, and I quickly bite my thumb, drawing blood as my hands come together, forming the sequence like its second nature.

"SUMMONING JUTSU!" Both Orochimaru and I yell out at the same time.

The building explodes as both Orochimaru and I use our respective summoning techniques. A giant smoke cloud fills the area, knocking over the tower and possibly killing the other four Kage and their bodyguards. Standing atop Gamabunta, Naruto and Minato stand next to me. Looking out in front of me where Orochimaru and Kabuto once stood the smoke begins to clear, and I see a giant purple and black snake with both Kabuto and Orochimaru standing atop it.

For a few moments everything is silent as the smoke from the summons clears, and I nervously look around to see the four Kage along with their bodyguards and Mifune and some of his samurai on the ground outside the tower. None of them look particulary happy, and I push the thought aside, focusing on Orochimaru and his right hand.

"It's been a long time, Fourth Hokage…" Gamabunta speaks in greeting to Minato.

Minato nods a greeting, a slight smile coming to his face.

"Hinata is the one who summoned you today Gamabunta, not me." Minato clarifies.

"I know that." Gamabunta says matter of factly before he looks across the relatively small open space to the giant snake. "I haven't seen that face in a while…"

"Today is the last day you see it." Minato predicts matter of factly. "You both ready?" He asks Naruto and me.

"I'm ready." Naruto says, still in flash mode.

"As am I." I answer, the natural energy of the Sage Mode filling me.

"Orochimaru! What are you doing summoning me?!" The snake demands angrily.

"I apologize Manda-sama." Kabuto says, naming the giant snake. "I promise you'll get your sacrifices just as soon as the battle is over."

"I better! You know I want 100 human sacrifices for my services!"

"You'll get them." Orochimaru says angrily.

"I better!" Manda repeats himself, glaring toward Gamabunta.

Gamabunta reaches back, grasping the hilt of his knife as he slowly draws the blade.

"It's about time I made myself a snake skin wallet." Gamabunta grins.

"I'll handle Orochimaru, you two handle Kabuto." Minato orders.

"Do you think that's wise Minato-sama?" I ask in a whisper.

"Don't worry. I'm not the Hokage for nothing." Minato says with a grin.

Minato leaps from Gamabunta's head, heading straight for Orochimaru as the two summons lunge at one another. Naruto and I both leap from the head of the toad, aiming for Kabuto as Manda lunges for Gamabunta, the snake aiming for Gamabunta's head as Gamabunta raises the blade and plants it directly in Manda's mouth.

"Accursed toad!" Manda growls around the sword.

Kabuto leaps toward us, specifically for Naruto. Kabuto's hands glow with chakra as Naruto and he meet mid air. Their momentum causes the two of them to spin in the air as they grab hold of one another. Kabuto attacks, throwing hard punches with his right hand while holding onto Naruto with his left. Naruto shunts his blows away using his free left hand. Naruto's hand moving in a blur of motion as he deflects Kabuto's punches making the silver haired Sound ninja looking like a genin as he totally outclasses Kabuto in the short exchange.

As the two of them fight, I quickly make a shadow clone to kill my forward momentum and head down to the ground, away from the conflict. Landing on the ground as I watch as both Kabuto and Naruto continue their melee. At the same time Manda releases Gamabunta's blade and then snaps at the toad elder's head. Gamabunta narrowly avoiding the snap as Manda lunges through the attack, kicking up a light breeze and ground as the snake lands behind Gamabunta, knocking down trees and portions of the landscape surrounding the tower.

"Die!" Kabuto growls, throwing a punch and connecting squarely with Naruto's chest, and Naruto's foot shoots out, impacting Kabuto's chest and sending him flying toward the ground.

Kabuto lands on his hands and knees. Looking up as Naruto begins to fall. My hands come together, forming the sequence of hand signs in a blur. All around Kabuto the ground turns black as an impromptu swamp forms around Kabuto, the swamp pulling Kabuto down. His head spins around, finding me standing there with my hands together in the last sign in the sequence, controlling the jutsu as it pulls at his body. Kabuto grins as Naruto lands on the ground, the two summons clashing again with a roar. Suddenly Kabuto plunges _into_ the swamp, going with the pull of the jutsu rather than fighting it.

_What the?_

With the Sage mode I can feel his chakra moving through the ground like a launched kunai. I jump back as his hand emerges from the ground, grasping me by toes, taking hold I feel a stabbing pain in my feet. Kabuto's body readily follows his arm, emerging from the ground, and I can't help but grin as my foot impacts his face, freeing his grip from my foot. Pushing off of Kabuto's face I land on my one good foot, using both hands to keep from planting my foot on the ground. I can feel the sage chakra begin to reverse the damage caused by Kabuto. The Sage Mode's accelerated healing one of the many benefits of the Sage form. Kabuto lands on his hands and feet, a grin coming to his face.

"You're good." He says, his expression never once faltering.

"Don't get cocky!" Naruto says from behind him.

There are fifteen simultaneous pops as fifteen shadow clones emerge around Kabuto. The clones are all in flash mode, and as one they descend on Kabuto, hands flying toward Kabuto in a barrage. The clones keep hitting him again and again, and I watch for nearly thirty seconds as the clones deliver a beating. As one the fifteen shadow clones disappear and the real Naruto walks up to the now prone Kabuto, picking Kabuto up by the collar and glaring at the silver haired shinobi.

"You're despicable for helping Orochimaru." Naruto spits.

Kabuto manages a grin.

"One down…" He smiles.

Naruto opens his mouth to say something when Kabuto's right hand lances out, striking Naruto directly in his chest, his hand glowing with a powerful chakra scalpel. Naruto releases Kabuto, stumbling backward he clutches at his chest, coughing. Kabuto lands on his feet, looking at Naruto it's obvious he thinks he's won, and in a moment I'm behind him, my hands clasped directly over his ears.

"Survive this." I growl, and twist his head like a grape on a vine.

His neck snaps, and I watch as his body goes limp, the life leaving his eyes. I drop him immediately, rushing to Naruto I see that he's on his back, his Flash Mode flickering off as I kneel down, looking him over.

"You'll be all right…" I assure him, my hands coming together to perform a standard medical analysis jutsu. I quickly check his pulse and his vitals, finding them both strong.

"The flash mode saved me." He says in a winded voice. "It kept him from reaching my heart, though I think he nicked my lungs."

Using the analysis jutsu I can see that his lungs aren't that badly damaged. Using a healing jutsu I begin to mend the damage done to him by Kabuto.

"My chakra is low." Naruto says, shaking his head. "You'll have to be the one to help dad. I don't think I've got much left."

"I don't want to leave you."

"I'll be fine." He insists.

I open my mouth to argue, but seeing the resolution in his eyes I know that there's no changing his mind. Nodding solemnly I stand up, looking away from Naruto toward Minato and Orochimaru. I see the two of them standing ten feet apart from one another, Minato breathing lightly while Orochimaru doesn't even look winded.

"You're not as young as you used to be, Minato…and thanks to my new body I'm as strong as I've ever been."

Minato clasps his hands together, forming a simple hand sign.

"I'm the Hokage of Konoha. I won't lose to a monster like you."

Orochimaru grin's confidently, and then Minato's body begins to crackle with electricity. Standing there I watch as lightning element chakra jumps across Minato's skin. Minato extends his hand, chakra beginning to swirl as the electricity swirls in his hand. In a second clouds form in the sky overhead and I look up to see lightning flash from cloud to cloud.

_No way… He's manipulating the local weather? Could he have made a jutsu strong enough to _actually_ do that?_

Watching the technique form it looks a lot like the Rasengan, but imbued with powerful lightning chakra. I watch as a bolt of lightning flashes down, impacting the sphere forming in Minato's hand. With the bolt of lightning a storm of electricity flashes from the sphere, ten foot long bolts of lightning swirling out from the sphere. Somehow the lightning never touches Minato, and I can't even begin to fathom how he can control the swirling chakra. Minato raises the ball into the air, holding it above his head the lightning seems to intensify, the light glowing from the sphere getting brighter and the heat from the lightning making the air even hotter.

"That's rather new…" Orochimaru comments, snakes slithering out of his sleeves.

"Now you die Orochimaru." Minato says coolly, hurling the sphere toward Minato like a shuriken.

The sphere somehow stays solid, flying through the air toward Orochimaru with the intent to burn the Sannin alive. Orochimaru jumps to the aside, the storm of lightning localized around the sphere barely avoiding him as the lightning burns and fries the snakes that had left the safety of Orochimaru's sleeves. Minato bends his fingertips in, his open palm still pointed in the direction of the sphere. I watch as the sphere lazily turns right in the air, turning in a lazy angle aimed directly toward Orochimaru. Orochimaru's eyes go wide as the sphere seemingly chases him, and he rockets up into the air, snakes propelling him into the air to avoid the Rai-Rasengan. The snakes quickly break contact from Orochimaru as the lightning burns them, Orochimaru smart enough to know that electricity is conducted by living flesh. Orochimaru floats in the air a moment, watching as the sphere turns upward, chasing after Orochimaru like a living creature. Watching this happening with the Rinnegan, I can see a normally invisible tether of chakra connecting Minato to the Rai-Rasengan.

_That must be how he's controlling it. He somehow sends signals to the sphere and changes its direction mid air. It's a brilliant move and a way to ensure your opponent has a difficult time avoiding your attack. The only problem is I doubt he can move while he's using it. _

It's then that the ground shakes, the two giant summoned animals clashing. The 3 of us stumble, and watching the battle I see the Rai-Rasengan wobble in mid air. Orochimaru's eyes go wide in opportunity, his tongue lashing out lightning-quick, wrapping around Minato's throat in a choke hold. Orochimaru grins as his tongue connects with Minato, and I can see the reasoning behind the move.

_If Minato hits him with his jutsu now the lightning will surely kill him, but it will also kill Minato at the same time. He's hoping that Minato won't risk killing himself in front of his son in order to get Minato to call off his attack. _

"I've got you now." Orochimaru says around his extended tongue. "Hit me with that jutsu now if you dare."

Minato gains a solemn expression, his eyes looking toward me and then his son lying on the ground behind me.

_Oh no…_

I can see it in his eyes, the calm acceptance of death that you see in the eyes of terminally ill hospital patients. Watching this all as the Rai-Rasengan turns I'm struck by all the memories I've shared with Minato and his family. I remember smiling happily sitting with them when I was younger, living with the Namikaze family I truly felt like I finally had a normal, loving family. Watching the man responsible for all of that about to die right in front of my eyes, I don't even think.

I start to move as Orochimaru's eyes go wide. It's obvious that the snake Sannin doesn't believe what he's seeing.

"No…" I hear Naruto weakly whisper.

The ball of lightning impacts Orochimaru, the snake screaming in pain as lightning courses through his body as though he was struck by a bolt of lightning himself. Watching the storm ravage him, I can see the current travel down his tongue, looking to go to ground. My hand grasps Orochimaru's slimy tongue 3 feet from Minato, and time seems to slow to crawl. I see Minato's eyes go wide in recognition, his lips mouthing the word 'no' as the world goes silent. I smile at the man, somehow unafraid of what may happen, in spite of everything I haven't done yet I somehow don't feel like I have any regrets, that I would do anything differently if given another chance.

"HINATAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto's panicked scream is the last thing I hear before the world goes black.

* * *

Somehow I don't feel any pain or smell burnt flesh as my eyes open and my senses come back to me. Taking in my surroundings I immediately recognize the Hyuga Dojo from the family home. I'm lying on the ground near the door, and across the dojo, against the far wall I see two people in white Hyuga robes sitting calmly.

"Where…?" I whisper, looking myself up and down as I stand up, finding that I'm still dressed in my normal clothes, save the 'Sage' haori.

Looking across the dojo I walk forward, my footsteps nearly soundless against the dojo's padded floor.

As I close on the two figures sitting against the wall, I recognize one as my grandmother Hibana. She sits next to a man with long dark hair, the both of them sitting in a meditative pose. The two of them are pictures of Hyuga main branch family members, a seemingly unflappable calm over the two of them. My eyes focus on the man, and for a moment I think that it's Hizashi, but I quickly take in his unmarred forehead, and it's then I remember that Hizashi was my father's twin.

With _that_ realization I literally forget to breathe, staring in awe at my father and my grandmother, and it's then that yet another and just as deep realization dawns on me.

_I must be dead…_

"…." I try to speak, but my voice won't come.

"It's much too early for you to be here child…" Hibana speaks solemnly, and at the sound of her voice I remember to breathe again.

I can't help but look at the man sitting next to Hibana, the words coming without any thought.

"Are you…?" I whisper, and the stoic faced man nods once, a softness coming to his eyes.

"I am your father Hinata…" He speaks, a slight smile coming to his face.

Tears begin to form in my eyes, and I can do nothing to hold them back at meeting my father for the first time. For moment I do nothing but cry, the tears coming unbidden as I quickly look away from them, burying my face in my hands to hide what my grandmother would undoubtedly call an 'emotional outburst.' I sniffle, trying to bring my emotions under control when my grandmother speaks again.

"You've grown to be a beautiful woman Hinata." Hibana says with a smile.

I sniffle again, rubbing my eyes I manage to look my grandmother in the eyes, trying my best to smile appreciatively.

"It's all because of your training, Hibana-sama." I manage to croak. "Though, I no longer have any right to the Main House anymore Hibana-sama." I continue, somehow finding my voice and bowing before my grandmother, seeking her forgiveness for failing her.

"Have you left the clan in capable hands?" Hibana asks coolly, and I nod solemnly.

"Neji-onii-chan is a powerful and capable shinobi."

"Then raise your head Hinata." Hibana bids me. "You haven't failed me."

I stand up, opening my mouth to argue, but Hibana cuts me off.

"I believed that if you were to succeed the clan, you would gain the happiness and respect that you were denied in your childhood. But now I can see that you've found all of those things on your own."

I open my mouth to say something, when a deep, feral voice echoes throughout the dojo.

"NO!" It roars in defiance, and I feel something tug at my body, but looking around I don't see anything there.

"It appears as though our time together is at an end." Hibana says solemnly.

"Hinata…" A familiar voice whispers in my ears, a voice I recognize almost as easily as my own.

_Naruto…?_

"Next time I see you I want you to look more like me and have lots of stories about a long and happy life."

I open my mouth to say something, to tell her everything that's happened, to say something to my father, but the words don't come.

"I will…" I manage to speak, feeling the invisible force tugging on me harder with each passing second.

Looking at Hiiashi, I can't help but feel tears at the corners of my eyes.

"I love you, father…" I whisper, not knowing what else to say.

The man nods, tears forming in his eyes as he looks away.

"Good bye…" He whispers.

* * *

The next thing I know I feel like my lungs are empty and I'm suffocating. I open my mouth and inhale, trying to fill the void with as much air as humanly possible. The second the air fills I taste the smell of burnt flesh on my lips and in my lungs I cough, opening my eyes I see that I'm lying on my back, surrounded not only by Minato and Naruto but also Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. I cough again and again, turning my head from left to right to see my things lying on the ground near my body, my haori, backpack and the Sage scroll. Looking up I see Naruto's hands aglow with a healing jutsu, both Gaara and Minato standing with their hands on his shoulders, a flow of chakra flowing from both of the Kage into him, giving him the necessary energy to perform a medical ninjutsu. Looking around at all of them I see their faces set in expressions of relief, and from that I can tell exactly what happened.

_I…died…_

I feel something draped over my body, and I look down to see it's the white long sleeved long robe of the Hokage that Minato normally wears. I can feel the grass against my back and neck, as though my clothes are no longer there.

_Am I naked?_

"What happened?" I manage to speak, and Minato smiles, both he and Gaara removing their hands from Naruto's back as Naruto's hands stop glowing.

"You saved my life." Minato says in thanks. "And you nearly died doing it."

Naruto takes hold of my left hand, grasping it gingerly in both of his hands.

"Don't do that again…" He pleads with me, tear stains on his cheeks.

"All right." I agree with him, and then I turn my head toward Minato. "Is Orochimaru dead?"

"Yes." Minato says with a nod. "His body took the brunt of the attack." He finishes, pointing to my right past my feet.

I follow his finger to see a charred burnt hunk of meet that looks like a human body, still smoldering. Obviously the source of the noxious stench.

"Do you think you can stand?" Minato asks.

"I think so…" I hesitantly agree.

Grabbing ahold of the robe that covers my body I begin to stand. I move slowly, making sure to wiggle my toes and move my fingers to make sure that my limbs still function. Naruto puts one hand on my back and another under my arm, helping me to stand up. As I move I feel minor spikes of pain from all over my body, my body protesting the movement, but I push the pain aside.

"Your clothes got ravaged by the electricity…" Naruto whispers and I look toward my pack, making sure to hold the Hokage's robe in place.

"I have a change in my bag…"

Naruto nods and it's then that the blonde haired kunoichi Temari steps forward. She un-slings her fan and opens it, wedging it into the ground and forming a crude changing curtain. Both Naruto and Minato step away, Gaara and Kankuro both flanking Temari's fan as I move behind it. Fortunately the other Kage and their bodyguards are on the opposite side of the fan, and with Gaara and Kankuro's accessories they form a rather effective changing curtain.

"I'll help you change…" Temari says gently, and I gladly accept the girl's assistance.

With her help I'm able to get changed without incident, feeling a lot better to get a complete set of clothes on my body. Once I'm dressed in my shirt and pants, I pick up the Sage haori and find that it isn't that ravaged, fortunately. Unfortunately I don't have another copy of the jacket I normally wear, so instead I'm wearing the fishnet shirt I normally wear under the haori. The shirt has a patch of solid black fabric over my breasts and stopping just above my belly button. My back is fully exposed in the shirt, and I can't help but feel naked as I slip the haori on. Temari steps back, nodding satisfactorily at my now presentable appearance. The three sand shinobi gather up their things. Kankuro putting his puppet back on his back while Gaara straps his gourd back into place. Temari is the last to return her fan to the sash around her waist.

It's then that Mifune approaches Minato, a cynical expression on his face.

"I'm glad that the criminal is dead." Mifune says sarcastically. "But there's the matter of my building…"

"My village will deal with the cost." Minato explains.

"That hardly matters." The Raikage growls in annoyance. "What matters is our meeting." He continues, pointing toward me. "That girl has the same dojutsu as the Sage of Six Paths!"

"Hinata recently acquired the Rinnegan." Minato argues. "I didn't want to bring it up at the meeting since we have better things to do other than squabble amongst ourselves."

"Her presence drastically changes things! This meeting was called under the intention that the remaining Jinchuriki would remain in their home villages!" The Raikage continues.

"Raikage-sama, what exactly does her presence here change?" Gaara speaks up in an even voice. "Had Hokage-sama chosen a different bodyguard we would all be unaware of Konoha's possession of the Rinnegan and it wouldn't have mattered."

"All that matters is that she's here now!" The Raikage argues. "As long as Konoha has the Rinnegan it gives them a shinobi with unparalleled abilities."

"I believe you dislike the choice for leader of the Alliance, and you're using this issue as an excuse to prevent an alliance from forming." Gaara says matter of factly.

The Raikage growls in anger, his hands balling into fists.

"How dare you accuse me of anything you brat…" He growls, and Gaara's face remains a calm mask in face of the Raikage's anger.

"The truth is an ugly thing isn't it?" Gaara jabs.

The Raikage growls in anger, lightning jumping across his body as the Raikage prepares to attack Gaara.

_For the Will's sake…_

"ENOUGH!" I yell as loud as I can.

I move without thinking. A wind blows through the area, lightning flashing overhead as a low rumble resonates through the ground. Water condenses into a ring at waist level as I hold up my right hand with my palm toward the sky. A fire ignites in my palm.

"All this bickering is useless! While you argue amongst yourselves those responsible for the deaths of so many people roam free!"

The fifteen of them all stare at me, and they unconsciously take a step back at seeing someone manipulate the six elemental forms of chakra at the same time. Looking into their eyes I can see the visage of man with long spiky hair flowing backward wearing a high collared cloak. What stands out, other than the eyes of the silhouette is a necklace with six red magatama on it.

_What in the world…?_

* * *

Three hours later the five Kage along with all of their bodyguards have moved to another building. Now the five Kage sit in a sealed room, and not even a moderator is present. I, along with Naruto, Temari, Kankuro and all the other Kage bodyguards have been moved into a waiting room with samurai guarding the door. The two samurai watch us all like hawks eying their meal, and for some reason they seem to watch me more than anyone else.

The room we're in has seating around the walls, and seats in a square shape in the center of the room. Most of the other bodyguards stand near the walls, watching the rest of the room with at least their backs to a wall, preventing someone from sneaking up behind them. Currently Naruto and I sit next to each other perpendicular to the door with our backs to the wall. Temari and Kankuro both stand near us, talking to us about what happened when Gaara was kidnapped by Akatsuki.

"So Gaara allowed himself to be taken by Akatsuki because they threatened the village." Temari explains. "They took him away and Konoha sent Naruto, Shino, and a woman named Haruka. The three of them worked to bring him back. He actually had the Shukaku extracted from him, and one of our village's elders sacrificed herself to revive him. Ever since he hasn't had the Shukaku in him anymore. He's finally been able to sleep like a normal person." Temari finishes explaining.

"That's an amazing story." I concede.

"Without the reinforcements from Konoha it's very unlikely that Gaara would be alive today."

"I'm just glad I could help." Naruto says with a grin.

I glance around the room, seeing the myriad of bodyguards all keeping to their village loyalties. Other than Temari and Kankuro, I haven't spoken to anyone else in the room that isn't from Konoha.

_Well, what do you expect? We were all brought here to protect our Kage, and yet now we're in a situation where we can't even monitor the conversation. For all we know one of them could somehow cast a genjutsu over the others and manipulate the outcome of the meeting for their own ends. _

_ I wonder if Minato will still be the leader of the alliance when they emerge from that room. I doubt it. He's said that he doesn't want the responsibility, though he may be the only one who's acceptable among the five of them…_

Temari then sits down quietly next to me, a curious expression on her face.

"So, what's it like to have the power of the Sage of Six Paths?" The blonde Suna kunoichi asks.

I glance at the woman, looking for the right words.

"It's…a unique experience…"

"You had a dojutsu before didn't you?" Temari asks, and I nod.

"Yes, I had the Byakugan before."

"Well, what's more powerful? The Rinnegan or the Byakugan?"

"Well…" I begin, thinking about it. "Based on visual ability, the Byakugan is better. It grants a three hundred and sixty degree view around the user. It also grants some degree of distanced sight and the ability to see through solid objects. However the Rinnegan is far more capable, and ultimately better, though I've had to make some adjustments, especially to my fighting style." I explain.

"I wonder how long before they finish?" Kankuro asks curiously, the only one of the four of us still standing.

"You can't rush things like this." Temari reminds her brother. "Meetings like this tend to take time no matter who is involved."

"Tell me about it." Naruto mutters under his breath, looking around at the other bodyguard shinobi.

_While he _may_ trust Temari and Kankuro, it's blatantly obvious that Naruto doesn't trust any of the other bodyguards as far as a newborn baby could throw him. _

Thinking about trust I can't help but think of Sasuke, and how much trust Naruto, Shino and I all placed in him when we simply allowed him to leave.

_He's gone off to destroy Akatsuki. I wonder where he is right now. I wonder if Akatsuki will come back to Konoha while I'm away…_

I mentally shake my head, banishing the thoughts the second after I think them.

_I can't think like that! Akatsuki wants _me_, not the village. So if anything they won't try anything while I'm gone, I hope…_

* * *

Naruto and I are now on our way back to Konoha. We have our packs on our backs and we're moving through the forest at a run. Minato was chosen as the leader of the Alliance, and Naruto and I are under orders to return to Konoha and tell the council the good news. We've been traveling for over a day now, and we should be returning to the village anytime now…

I see a swirl of chakra appear ahead, and I quickly come to a stop, motioning for Naruto to stop as well. Out of the swirl of chakra a man emerges. He's wearing an Akatsuki cloak and has dark hair. He wears an orange swirl pattern mask with a hole over his right eye.

_Oh no…MORE Akatsuki!?_

Both Naruto and I glare at him, and I can't help but brings my hands together, forming a hand sign. Naruto jumps forward, a Rasengan forming in his hand. He thrusts the attack straight for the Akatsuki member, and I watch as the Rasengan, and Naruto himself passes right through the Akatsuki member, landing on his feet behind the Akatsuki member. He turns, the Rasengan still in his hand, his eyes wide in shock at what just happened.

_How is that even possible? He passed right through him! It isn't an illusion, I can see that he's really a person, so how is it possible for him to allow an entire human being to pass through him like that?_

"Ah, ah, ah!" The man says, wagging his finger in displeasure. "That's no way to greet a guest. I come to talk to you and that's how you greet me?"

"What do you want?" I demand, and I can almost see him grin behind the mask.

"I came to warn you about Sasuke." He says without preamble.

"What do we need to be warned about!?" Naruto demands from behind the masked man.

"Sasuke is going to do what Pain failed to do." The masked man explains, and my eyebrow flinches at the mention of the man whose eyes now reside in my sockets. "He's going to burn Konoha to the ground."

My mouth drops open in surprise.

_No way…_

"You're lying! There's no way Sasuke would ever do that!" Naruto argues.

"Believe me or not. It doesn't change the fact that he's going to burn Konoha to cinders." The man says.

"Why would he do that? He left us to destroy Akatsuki, not burn Konoha!" I argue.

"Revenge is all he knows." The man counters. "It's what drives him, all he thinks about. _It's in his_ _blood_."

"Bullshit!" Naruto disagrees.

"Believe me or not, it won't change the truth. Sasuke has gone to Konoha to burn it to the ground."

"Why tell us any of this? We're enemies. You want me dead!"

"I want to see what is truly superior." The man responds.

Naruto raises an eyebrow in questioning.

"You mean between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan?" Naruto asks.

"No…" He answers. "I want to see what is truly superior, the Senju or the Uchiha."

"Senju?" Naruto asks curiously. "None of us are related to that clan."

The man shakes his head slowly.

"Long ago, before Konoha was founded there were two ninja clans who were constantly at war with each other. Those two clans were the Senju, and the Uchiha. In a time of war, when one side of a conflict would hire the Senju, the other would hire the Uchiha. Decades passed like that, until finally the man who would become the First Hokage, Hirashima Senju came to the Uchiha leadership with an offer of peace. The Uchiha leadership opposed the idea, but the clan as a whole wanted to end the bloody fighting against them. So, the two clans declared peace, and with all the clans that the two had beaten they formed Konoha." He finishes explaining.

"What does how Konoha being founded have to do with any of this?"

"Before the Senju and Uchiha, there was the Sage of Six Paths…" He begins, his one visible eye looking to me, and the eyes in my sockets. "Before the Sage died he had two sons, an older son and a younger son. On his death bed he called both sons to his side. It was then that he chose one of them to carry on his dream of creating world peace. Before he chose he asked both of them how they believed peace should be achieved. The elder son rightly believed that power was the true key to peace. The younger son foolishly said that love was the key, and the Sage in the greatest mistake he ever made, chose his younger son to carry on his legacy. Feeling rightfully bitter and envious at his younger sibling, the elder son attacked him, beginning a war between them." The man finishes.

_What is this freak? Some kind of shinobi historian?_

"What does all of that have to do with this?" Naruto demands and I can swear the man grins behind that mask.

"The elder son's descendents would become the Uchiha clan, and the younger child's descendents would become the Senju." The man drops the bomb. "The Senju and the Uchiha are fated to be at war with one another."

He looks toward me, and I suddenly want to put my back to a wall, a kunai in hand.

"The younger son's desire is in you Hinata." He explains. "Sasuke is the embodiment of the older son's ideals. You and Sasuke are fated to fight."

"Fate is what we make it!" Naruto argues, and the man chuckles, shaking his head in contempt.

"You're a teenager. You hardly have any worldly experience. How can you presume to lecture someone several generations your senior?"

_What does that mean?_

"We'll make Sasuke see the truth!" I argue, and again the man shakes his head.

"His eyes were closed until he met me. Now they're open, they're open and he finally sees the truth of the world."

"They're open to _your_ truth, nothing more."

"You cannot deny the feud between the Senju and the Uchiha. The ideals both clans stand for cannot co exist. Sasuke sees that now, why can't you two?"

"The idea of ruling through force is wrong!" Naruto speaks up.

"Spoken just like a true Senju." He says mockingly.

He looks straight at me, a serious tone coming to his voice.

"BOTH the Uchiha and Hyuga were born from the elder son of the Sage, if anyone should see that the Senju's rule by love is wrong, that it shuns those who are different or strange, it's you, Jinchuriki-san."

"Until people try to understand one another you're right." I agree with him. "However I _cannot_ envision a world ruled by force and fear."

The man shakes his head in contempt.

"You're far too weak willed, just like _Nagato_." He says with venom in his voice.

"Nagato was a strong person! He was convicted to his ideals."

"He was misguided." The man says matter of factly. "Now you bear his eyes, the successor to both the will and power of the Sage. What will you do? Will you follow the same path as the Sage: become a priest and preach peace, or will you follow Nagato's path: use the power inherent in the Rinnegan to subjugate the world?"

Thinking about it, I can't agree with either path. While I don't disagree with the Sage's choice of preaching peace, it will never materialize true peace in a single lifetime. As far as the second choice, it's exactly the same thing as the Uchiha ideal, subjugating the world through force and fear.

"I'm going to follow my own path!" I declare. "I'll create a world where shinobi are no longer needed, where people can live without fear of war or conflict."

The man scoffs, shaking his head slowly.

"My thoughts exactly…" Naruto murmurs in agreement.

"You're nothing but an idealistic fool." He responds.

I glare at the man in challenge.

"Then let's prove who's right!"

The man raises his right hand, his pointer finger extend.

"Ah, ah, ah!" He says, wagging his finger. "I'm not the one you'll be fighting. If you wish to put an end to this blood feud, Sasuke has gone to Konoha, to exterminate it."

The man disappears in a swirl of chakra, and I see Naruto standing there, looking surprised at his sudden disappearance. Both he and I quickly look around, searching for some sign of the masked man and finding none.

"We need to get going." Naruto says, and I nod my agreement.

Both Naruto and I take off, heading for Konoha as fast I can move. We bound through the trees, moving as fast I can.

"I'll take off my weights." Naruto says, his hands moving to his legs. "I can get there much faster without them."

"You shouldn't remove them yet Naru-kun." I argue. "If you get there before I do you might be able to fight Sasuke, but you'll stand a much better chance if we're together."

"I guess so." He reluctantly agrees.

Together the two of us keep going, bounding from tree to tree as fast as we can run. We keep going for another hour, and then I spot smoke in the distance.

"Naruto look!" I call out, pointing toward the rising column of smoke in the sky.

"I'm going on ahead." He says with no room for argument. "I'll try and hold Sasuke off until you arrive. Don't be late."

He releases his weights in a well practiced motion. His body then flashes gold and his eyes glow, his body going into flash mode. He disappears in a blur.

Naruto's weights sail to the ground, impacting with loud thuds. I curse myself under my breath, pumping chakra into my legs, willing myself to move faster.

_I only hope I'm not too late…_


	37. Chapter 37

(Well, here's Chapter 37. My beta looked this one over, and hopefully it shows. I wrote this one while I was waiting on 36, so I've had this sitting on my laptop for a bit before I sent it to my beta, that's why there's such a short update window. Anyway, enjoy the chap.)

Chapter 37: Family

Thirty minutes later I arrive at the village walls. There are now two gaps in the wall, one with scaffolding and a skeleton structure in it, the other completely blown away with black flames licking away at the wall. In the village proper newly rebuilt buildings have been knocked over and some are on fire, the black flames burning here too.

_He must really want to destroy the village if he's using that jutsu._

I can hear the sounds of conflict up ahead, steel clashing with steel and male voices grunting with exertion.

_They must be fighting up ahead. I'd better get ready._

Stopping in the middle of the street I close my eyes and draw the natural energy into my body. Bringing it into balance my body shifts into Sage mode and I feel the natural energy fill me. Crossing my hands into the sign of the ram, I use the Shadow Clone jutsu.

The twin clones pop into existence in two clouds of smoke.

"You both know what to do."

The clones nod, disappearing in a swirl of leaves. Thanks to the Rinnegan, I can see the world through their eyes, though I don't need it to know that Naruto and Sasuke are both ahead, and that both of them are fighting.

_I just hope I'm not too late._

The village is in chaos, pure and utter chaos. Sections of the village are on fire or demolished. Naruto stands apart from Sasuke in his flash mode, black flames leaping from Sasuke's eyes and shooting toward him. Sasuke wears an Akatsuki cloak above a black pair of pants and a sleeveless black shirt. His headband is missing, and he has his sword at his back, the hilt poking out of the collar of the cloak. Naruto disappears in a blur, avoiding the flames as they strike a nearby building. Lightning flashes across Sasuke's body, forming a protective barrier against any physical attack. Naruto reappears behind him, and the lightning leaps from Sasuke's body, the bolt shooting out toward Naruto. His hands come together, and a whirlwind of wind chakra swirls around him. The lightning meets the whirlwind and there's a flash of light before they both disappear.

_Wind element chakra is stronger than lightning element chakra…_

Sasuke grins mischievously, turning to stare at Naruto.

"I'd expect nothing less from the 'genius' child of the Fourth." Sasuke mutters.

"I'm not going to stand idly by while you murder innocent people." Naruto growls.

"The Senju and their descendents are anything but innocent." Sasuke says with venom in his voice.

"The Senju are the ones who ordered the massacre of my family! The blood of my mother, father and everyone I ever loved is on their hands, and they deserve to pay. I am an avenger, I always have been. It's what I was born for."

"That's bullshit!" Naruto shouts. "We make our own destiny. We choose what to do with our lives! No one is forcing you to avenge your parents or your family. No one is making you do this!"

"We have been chosen by fate to fight, nothing can change that." He says.

"We control our own destiny." Naruto insists. "Just like Itachi controlled his. He loved you! He did what he did for _you_, so that when you killed him the whole village would regard you as a hero!"

"My brother was a fool. Everything he did was for a foolish, idiotic ideal. The Senju and the Uchiha can never co exist."

_He sounds like Madara._

"What about your parents? Were they deluded fools too? They loved you just as much as Itachi did, if not more!"

Sasuke's eyes flicker with rage.

"My parents and my family were going to overthrow the Senju and take their rightful place as leaders of the village! But the Senju poisoned Itachi. They used one of our own as a weapon against us."

"My father didn't want that to happen! He saved Haruka!"

"You and your family have allied with the Senju; you're enemies of the Uchiha."

"How many have innocent people would've died if Itachi hadn't done what he'd done? How many innocent lives that aren't related to either the Senju or the Uchiha were spared by what he did?" Naruto insists, but his words don't faze Sasuke in the least.

"_All_ who stand with the Senju are my enemies." Sasuke says absolutely.

"You aren't even listening to me!" Naruto growls.

Sasuke draws his sword, lunging for Naruto with lightning flashing along the length of the blade. Sasuke flips the sword in his hand into a reverse grip. He swings the blade, aiming for Naruto's throat as a current of electricity flashes along the length of the blade. Naruto ducks down, avoiding the sword and sticking out his foot, aiming to sweep Sasuke off his feet. Naruto connects and Sasuke falls, using the momentum to flip forward and land on his feet twenty feet behind Naruto. Sasuke grins and the lightning leaps from his blade, shooting for Naruto like flung kunai.

Naruto disappears in a golden blur, evading the bolt of lightning. Sasuke's body jerks suddenly like he's been struck, his face twisting to the left, his left knee buckling outward, his right side caving in, all seemingly in the same instant.

There's a resounding 'crack' as Naruto's foot leaves a print on Sasuke's shirt, knocking the Uchiha back like he's been shot out of a cannon. The Uchiha hits the ground with a thud, and there's an explosion of electricity as the lightning clone disappears. A sound of bird's chirping echoes in the area the moment before a black and white blur slams into Naruto. A flare of blue electricity in front of the blur, the strike hitting Naruto and sending him flying backward.

_A Chidori._

Naruto rights himself in the air, a burst of wind from his feet killing his momentum before he drops to the ground, landing on his feet. The back of his vest has a hole in it the size of a softball, the revealed skin is burnt.

Sasuke grins triumphantly at Naruto, his expression filled with arrogance.

"It's time I got serious." Naruto mutters under his breath, and Sasuke's grin doesn't falter.

"I agree completely."

Naruto drops into a taijutsu stance, his expression absolutely calm. In the next instant a yellow flash appears behind Sasuke, the glow stopping just inches from Sasuke's body.

"That won't work." Sasuke mutters as a demonic visage body forms around him. "This is my ultimate defense."

Naruto quickly leaps back, wanting to get away from whatever it is that surrounds Sasuke. Sasuke slowly turns, the…thing… surrounding him forming a layer of what looks like samurai armor with giant horns on it's head. The creature has three arms, one of which holds a bow, another arm holds are dark sphere and the third arm is empty.

"This is absolute defense." Sasuke says matter of factly. "It's even more powerful than Gaara's defense. There's nothing you can do to penetrate it."

Naruto cocks a grin, seemingly unfazed by Sasuke's proud declaration.

"We'll see about that." Naruto grins.

The ground beneath Sasuke's feet cracks and falls away. Sasuke looks down to see a pair of hands come up from beneath him, grasping hold of his ankles and pulling him down. The ground then shatters four feet down, and a second glowing Naruto stands there with two yellow Rasengans, one in each hand.

"Konjiki Rasenrengan!" He yells out, thrusting both attacks straight at Sasuke.

The twin spheres explode in a blast of concussive force that swirls around like a vortex. The blast has two layers separated by a small gap, and I can only imagine being between them would be like being ground in a meat grinder. After several seconds the swirling vortices explode outward with a tremendous burst of force. The real Naruto stands apart from them, and as the cloud settles I can tell that Naruto sent in shadow clones to do the fighting, knowing that it would be a suicide run. He reaches into his pocket, withdrawing a rather large food pill. He quickly pops the stimulant into his mouth and chews, swallowing it. From the cloud of dust and smoke Sasuke emerges, his demonic protector still surrounding him. However, his chakra supply is running low, and I can tell that he can't keep this up for much longer.

"My hatred _won't_ be extinguished." Sasuke growls, walking forward like a marionette on strings. "I'll murder anyone who sides with the Senju. I'll wipe the clan and its ideals from the Earth."

Black flames lance out from Sasuke, aiming for Naruto. Naruto sidesteps, but he doesn't dodge by a very wide margin, and he cringes at the heat from the unearthly flames.

"_JUST DIE!_" Sasuke screams in rage.

Black flames erupt from Sasuke in all directions, looking to burn the entire village to the ground.

"Bansho Tenin!" My voice echoes across the village.

The flames suddenly change course in mid air. Rather than spreading out all over the village they all suddenly jump toward a small deserted area of village where buildings once stood but now nothing but dirt and rubble remains. I'm there, and in front of me a two foot wide, ten foot long scroll lies unfurled on the ground. As the flames come toward me I plant both hands on the scroll, the sealing formula written on the scroll glowing as the mass of black flames is drawn into the paper. Concentrating chakra into the paper the writing glows as the flames are sucked into the scroll, safely storing them where they can't harm anyone. As the last of the black flames are absorbed into the paper the symbol for fire glows into existence.

_Well, that takes care of that at least._

Glancing over at Sasuke I see him weakly fall forward, collapsing onto his hands and knees in exhaustion.

"No…" Sasuke mutters.

His eyes have lost the Sharingan, showing just how low on chakra he's become. Coiling my legs I jump to his location. When I arrive I look down at him with pity in my eyes. Even now, seeing him on the ground nearly passed out from chakra exhaustion I can't help but feel sorry for what he's become.

"Sasuke, I've become the Sage of Six Paths."

"How?" He whispers in disbelief.

"It's my destiny to bring about true peace."

"Idealistic fool." He mutters, his eyes closing and his body flopping to the ground in exhaustion.

Looking down on him, I can't help but feel a bit of sorrow. I know that thanks to his failed assault he'll be enjoying a deep dark prison cell where he'll never see the light of day again. In spite of everything he's done I can only think of Itachi lying on the ground begging me to help him, telling me about how much he cared about his brother and how he wanted him to become a hero in the eyes of the village. Instead he's going to rot in a prison cell. I reach out to grab Sasuke by the collar and drag him into custody when the air in front of me shimmers.

_Is that chakra?_

From the shimmer of chakra a foot shoots out, hitting me in the gut and driving the air from my lungs. My feet skid back against the ground as a body materializes from the shimmer of chakra. The human body seems to swirl into existence, and I recognize the masked figure standing in front of me, the same man who stopped Naruto and I outside of the village and told us all about the origins of the Senju and the Uchiha.

_How the hell did he hit me? He wasn't there, and then his foot suddenly appeared. The only warning I even got was that shimmer of chakra, but even then how could he have known where I was standing? He can't be able to just teleport around like that. Not even Minato can do that, his Flying Thunder God at least requires a seal for him to leap, but he can just jump around with impunity. _

"You!" Naruto scowls as Madara stands over Sasuke's prone form.

"Hello again." He says childishly.

"What the hell do you want!" Naruto demands and Madara cocks his head to the side.

"You did well to best Sasuke in a fight, even if it was with help." He compliments Naruto, glancing to me when he says 'with help.' "There are very few who can say they've faced an Uchiha with a Mangekyo Sharingan and survived."

"What do you want, why are you manipulating Sasuke?" I ask the immortal.

"A pair of eyes like his are quite rare." He says, reaching down and scooping Sasuke's unconscious form up under his left arm. "And I'm not the type to let something like that go for free."

"Sasuke-kun isn't a weapon or a tool for you or anyone!"

The masked man looks at me, and I get the distinct feeling that he's grinning at me behind that mask.

"You think I'm manipulating him? I never tried to manipulate others into following me. He agreed to my cause of his own free will."

It's then that the ground behind Madara shimmers with chakra and another figure emerges. This one also wears an Akatsuki cloak, only this one looks like a human Venus fly trap, one half black, the other white.

_Oh what now._

Madara half turns toward the new arrival, tossing Sasuke like a rag doll toward him. The new arrival catches him without complaint, his arms catching Sasuke bridal style.

"Take care of the boy." Madara orders the newcomer.

"Understood." He says calmly.

The newcomer sinks into the ground

"_No!_" Naruto yells out, lunging forward.

Madara steps between them, and Naruto punches the masked man. The second after his fist connects with that orange mask, the two of them disappear in an eye blink. One second they're there, the next they're both gone without a trace. For a second his chakra is gone and I can no longer sense it, and then the next moment I feel his chakra reappear above the ground. Looking up I see him in mid air, his body still in the exact same pose he disappeared in. He seems to float there a moment.

"Huh?" He asks, looking down.

As though gravity didn't apply until he noticed, Naruto suddenly begins to plummet. Naruto flips in the air, putting his feet under him and a burst of air blasts out from his feet, slowing his descent. He manages to land softly, bending his knees on the landing to absorb the shock of the impact. He actually lands a few feet away from where he was standing before he lunged in for the attack, and in the next moment Madara reappears exactly where he was as the newcomer disappears beneath the earth.

"I come here to talk, but you Leaf people are so damn violent." Madara comments.

"How the hell did you do that?" Naruto demands with anger in his voice. "One second I was hitting you, and the next thing I know I'm twenty feet in the goddamn air!"

"That's _my _little secret." Madara says teasingly.

"What do you want to talk about? You already told us your whole story before you even arrived." I grumble dryly.

"I've come here to try and convince you to give yourself up willingly." He says matter of factly.

Naruto scowls in disgust.

"You can take that shit and go shove it!" Naruto answers for me.

I raise my hand, bidding him to stop, and through the shadow clones I see him open his mouth to say something, but it snaps shut.

"I'm listening." I tell Madara, and Naruto's jaw drops open in surprise.

"You can't be serious!"

"I want to know what he's planning Naruto, and I might never get another chance to find out."

Naruto closes his mouth and I turn to Madara.

"You have my attention." I tell him.

"Like you I seek to create world peace, through the nine Bijuu and my eyes."

"How would you do that?"

"Long ago there was only a single Bijuu. This one was the Juubi, a monster of unimaginable power. The Sage of Six Paths fought this monster and created the sealing method that allows for the creation of a Jinchuriki. He contained the monster as the first and only Jinchuriki for years until he neared death. Just before he died he separated the Juubi from its body and split its chakra into nine smaller portions. Those nine smaller portions of chakra became the Bijuu we know today. For its physical remains he sealed it away inside the moon and hung it in the sky, safe for all eternity."

"What does all that have to do with your plans?"

"I intend to assemble the nine Bijuu together and reform them into their original form. Then I'll take the Juubi's chakra into my body and become the ultimate Jinchuriki. Once I have the Juubi my eyes will finally be restored to their glory and I'll have enough power to cast a certain jutsu."

"What certain jutsu?" Naruto demands.

"A world encompassing Tsukuyomi." Madara says with glee in his voice. "The illusion will be reflected off of the whole moon and encompass the entire world. With that I will bring the entire world into harmony, there will be no more violence, no more pain, no more pointless death and destruction."

"No more free will, no more hopes, no more dreams." I say.

"If peace is ever going to be attained, sacrifices must be made." Madara replies matter of factly.

"That's not peace. That's slavery. You want to subjugate the entire world!" Naruto shouts.

"For the first time, the goal the Sage of Six Paths sought will be realized. The whole world will be at peace."

"Not like that!" I shout, and then something...strange happens.

I feel something pull in my mind, and suddenly I feel like I'm floating in nothingness. I can no longer see through the eyes of the shadow clones and I feel like I've been cut off from the world. There's another presence in my mind, one that isn't the Kyuubi or even Nagato, and I have no idea who or what it is.

"Hmm…" Madara mutters.

"Hinata?" Naruto whispers, and I try to open my mouth to answer him, but my mouth won't move.

_Why can't I talk? What's going on?_

For the first time in a long time I panic, my thoughts spinning into overdrive as I try to figure out exactly what's going on, and then a new voice comes from somewhere.

"I didn't preach peace through the subjugation of others." A male voice that I don't recognize speaks aloud. "I preached peace through understanding and compassion, which is why I chose the Senju to be my heir. They understood my hope, my vision." The voice finishes.

"Tch." Madara scoffs, and he points directly at me. "You expect me to believe that I'm speaking to _The_ Sage of Six Paths?"

_Why is he pointing to me? What's going on?_

"When I created the nine Bijuu a part of me was sealed inside each of the nine." The male voice explains. "Now, with this girl I can manifest, but my time is short."

_This girl? He's talking about me?_

"Your idea of peace is flawed." Madara argues. "The peace I will create is perfect and ever lasting."

"The peace you seek is nothing but a farce." The male voice responds.

It's then that I'm suddenly thrust forward again, and the feeling of my arms and legs returns to me, like I'm suddenly anchored in the world again. Looking down at my hands I see that my body is responding again, and I can once again see through the eyes of the shadow clones still out there.

Naruto is suddenly at my side, a hand on my arm.

"Hinata, you all right?" He whispers, and I nod, shakily smiling.

"I'm fine Naruto." I tell him.

_Freaked out, but fine._

"You're quite the interesting little girl Kyuubi." Madara comments.

I look up, and shapes suddenly fill the space that Naruto, Madara and I stand in. I see Kakashi Hatake with Kiba and Sakura, Asuma Sarutobi with his team and even Jiraiya. In addition to all of this a group of ANBU surround Madara, keeping their distance but forming an effective barrier, though nothing short of being held down will keep Madara from fleeing.

_Someone must've sent reinforcements._

"I'll see you later, little sage." Madara's voice carries.

I feel his chakra disappear, and I let out a breath that I didn't know that I was holding.

It's been two days since Sasuke attacked the village. With everything that's happened recently, the sight of the villagers rebuilding the village has become commonplace. Compared to what Nagato did, the destruction wrought by the prodigal Uchiha isn't so bad. However that isn't saying very much. Nagato leveled entire districts and caused so much damage that the people of the village will be rebuilding for six months to a year just from that. Now Sasuke has done even more damage and destroyed what had been rebuilt. Many of the villagers view rebuilding as a futile gesture; that the village is cursed and someone else will just come along and destroy whatever they've done.

_Unfortunately Madara didn't reappear after the reinforcements from the village arrived. I wonder just how close is he to getting his hands on all nine of the Bijuu and reforming the Juubi. Plus what happened to me when I said those things and acted that way? It felt like there was someone else that suddenly took control of my body and made me say those words._

Currently I've been confined to a guarded room in the bunker under the Hokage Mountain. After coming out of Sage mode I was exhausted, and so was Naruto. However he was in better shape than I was. Since Minato isn't in the village, Kushina has assumed the role of quasi-Hokage and she's been the one making the decisions using emergency powers granted to her by the council. It was her order that confined me to this room, and I know that she means well, but I also feel guilty for sitting in this room on my laurels while the rest of the village is made to toil and suffer. The last two days I haven't had any contact with anyone other than a Chunin coming into the room to deliver my meals.

There's a knock at the door, a gentle rapping as I sit there on the bed in the dark, my legs crossed, my hands on my knees. I open my eyes, exhaling a breath.

"Come in." I call out, and the door opens.

Light shines into the room in a bright beam and I look away as Jiraiya walks into the room, closing the door behind him. I look back to see him looking me up and down. He shakes his head slowly, his gray hair swinging behind him. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the door, looking at me curiously.

"What're you doing in here, sitting in the dark like some kind of hermit?" He asks sarcastically, and I don't get up off the bed.

"I was meditating." I tell him.

"Meditating? Didn't you do enough of that on Myoboku?"

"I'm trying to do what I can to improve. What are you doing here Jiraiya? You don't just come to visit, not when people need you."

"How're you doing?" He asks with genuine concern.

"I'm feeling better. How are the people doing?"

"Some are still picking through the wreckage, others have already begun to rebuild. You've actually caused quite a stir within the village. The people are talking and word is spreading that the Sage incarnate is in Konoha, and people want to see you, hear you speak, like some kind of prophet."

I shake my head slowly.

"I never asked to be some kind of symbol. Besides, a couple of years ago the people of this village would sooner spit on me than hear what I had to say."

Jiraiya shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know about that, but whether or not you asked for this, it's happening. Every shinobi who witnessed your little chat with that guy were all amazed, and I have to admit I couldn't help but feel a little in awe of the visage that came over you. Something seemed to resonate within me when the Sage appeared, and hearing him speak it was as though the Sage of Six Paths himself had in fact returned."

"I don't know what to make of it." I tell the man.

"Someone recorded the fight, and the video of the Sage appearing has come up, and people are watching it. You've become something far more important than a Toad Sage or even a Hokage. You're a symbol of hope."

I open my mouth to repeat that I never asked to be a symbol when I close my mouth again.

_Complaining now won't do you any good, nor will it make anything better._

"How's Tsunade-sensei?" I ask curiously.

"She's not as young as she used to be." He says with a grin and more than a little wistfulness in his voice. "Since the attack, she and the medical corps have been working around the clock to help the wounded and saved those seriously injured by Amaterasu."

_All I could do was dispatch a few clones with flame sealing scrolls to seal away the fires, I couldn't help heal those affected by the attack, not that I could've been much use. After the Sage manifested I was physically drained, barely able to stand._

"I haven't seen Tsunade-sensei in a while." I think out loud.

"She'll probably enjoy a visit from you Hinata." Jiraiya comments. "The two of you really got close during our time together."

_Well, she helped me pick out clothes, talked with me about all the feminine things that were happening to me, it was like she was an adopted mother._

An hour and a half later I'm in the recently erected Konoha hospital. An ANBU used some sort of jutsu to literally grow the building out of the ground. As such there are no decorations on the walls or rugs or even paint. The walls and floor are bare wood, and the furniture has been hastily erected, often just a couple of boards nailed together. A nurse on the first floor told me that Tsunade is on the fifth floor.

Walking by the rooms I can see people in various states of injury, from people missing arms to burns covering various portions of their bodies. The people that I do lock eyes with that are conscious recognize me, and they look at me with a sort of reverence in their eyes, like I'm some kind of hero that's going to make everything right. Rounding a corner I spot Shizune speaking to a uniformed medical corps member with a medical chart in her hands. As I approach the two of them Tsunade's assistant looks up from the chart and quickly spots me.

"Go get that done please." Shizune hands the chart to the medic and quickly dismisses the man, who quickly nods and walks away at a brisk pace. She waves at me, smiling brightly considering the bleak situation. "It's good to see you Hinata-san, are you feeling well?"

"It's good to see you too, and I feel fine, how about you?"

"Tired." Shizune mutters, her eyes rimmed with dark color, and she looks like she hasn't been sleeping.

I look over my shoulder, looking at the doorways on both sides of the hall leading into patient rooms.

"How many?" I ask solemnly, referencing the death toll.

"So far twenty-five, that we're aware of." She says in a subdued tone. "Though it could've been a lot worse, if not for you, Naruto-san and Tsunade-sama."

_Twenty-five people. I couldn't protect twenty-five people and I'm supposed to be a symbol of hope? I wonder, do the twenty-five families of those people think I'm some kind of symbol, or just a murderer. _

"Hinata-san? Is something the matter?" Shizune asks, and I blink in surprise.

"No, nothing's wrong." I tell her. "I was just thinking about something. I came to visit Tsunade-sensei."

Shizune points farther down the hall toward a closed door.

"That's Tsunade-sama's office, she should be in there."

"Thank you."

I walk to the door, gently knocking on the door for a moment.

"Come in." A weary but familiar voice beckons me from the other side.

Opening the door I step inside and I see Tsunade sitting at a desk with two chairs opposite her. Though her 'desk' is nothing more than a couple of two by fours cobbled together, and the same can be said for the chairs. Sitting there she looks like she hasn't slept in days, though her appearance is still that of a woman in her thirties, not the 'old hag' she should be. Papers are strewn about the desk everywhere, and she looks up upon my entrance, her eyes weary and tired. Her eyes brighten at seeing me, some of the weariness leaving her gaze.

"Hinata." She says in greeting, standing up from behind the desk. "How've you been? It's good to see you!"

She walks around the desk, opening her arms looking for a hug. I oblige, walking to the woman and embracing her in a loving hug. For a moment the two of us embrace one another then she steps back so she stands at arms length, her hands on my shoulders with an approving look on her face.

"So, the new Toad Sage eh?" She asks.

I nod in embarrassment, and Tsunade pats me on the shoulder in approval.

"I'm proud of you. You've become a strong shinobi."

"I don't feel like I've done anything worthy of all the accolades and praise. Naruto is the one who fought of Sasuke and saved everyone."

Tsunade smiles, motioning toward the door.

"Come with me, let's get some coffee."

Fifteen minutes later the two of us walk into a break room of some kind. Several members of the medical corps sit in various chairs and leaning against counters, taking a break from the all consuming work of saving lives. They all stand a little straighter when Tsunade and I walk into the room, and for once I don't feel like the center of attention. The only decoration in the room is a single coffee maker powered by a small electric battery. Around the maker are several cans of coffee, most of them open and empty. There are plastic cups stacked near the maker, and I can only assume they're community use.

Tsunade walks to this maker, grabbing two cups she pours some coffee into each cup, walking back to me she hands me a cup, and I gratefully accept it.

"So, what's wrong?" Tsunade asks casually, leaning on a counter and sipping the cup of coffee.

"I failed to protect twenty-five people." I tell her, taking a sip. "Maybe more died because I couldn't protect them."

"Do you know how many people you saved?" She asks me. "Do you know how many could've been hurt if the fires hadn't been stopped when they did?"

I shake my head no.

"Over one thousand people are still alive because of what you did. You protected every one of those people, saved them not only from Akatsuki but from Sasuke as well. You aren't a god, and neither was the Sage of Six Paths. He was just a person, and while he didn't protect every single follower he had, he did what others couldn't and protected those that couldn't protect themselves."

"I guess so." I reluctantly agree, and Tsunade smiles.

"Has anyone told you yet?" She asks with anticipation in her voice.

I blink in surprise.

"Told me what?" I ask curiously, and Tsunade quickly shakes her head.

"Nothing."

_Okay…_

"Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you about."

"Hmm?" Tsunade asks curiously, taking another sip.

"Well, I was just thinking, I'm not technically a Hyuga anymore since I lost the Byakugan, and you've always been like an adopted mother, and I don't want to be adopted into Naruto's family since that would legally make us brother and sister. I was wondering if you'd adopt me into the Senju clan."

"You want me to make you a Senju?" She asks, and I nod.

"I know you probably get a lot of people asking for this, since your clan is so famous, and it would only be a technicality, but it'd mean a lot to me."

Tsunade smiles happily.

"I think I'd like that." She says with a smile. "Just because you weren't born a Senju doesn't mean anything. A clan is actually a grouping of people who are bound together by a common descent, even if it's just perceived and not biologically."

"So, you'll make me a Senju?" I ask hopefully, and she nods.

"Sure, though I can't file the paper work right away, I'll do it as soon as I can."

"Thank you Tsunade-sensei, err, I guess I should call you Okaa-san then huh?"

Tsunade blushes deeply when I call her Okaa-san, and I know that she always wanted to have children, but never had a man that she would willingly admit to wanting to be with.

"Okaa-san will work, but only in private." She corrects me, and I nod.

"Thank you Tsunade-okaa-san, I'll see you later, okay?"

"See you Hinata-chan." Tsunade wishes me well, giving me a quick hug before I go.

Ten minutes later I emerge from the makeshift hospital. With my talk with Tsunade over I'm planning on heading toward one of the reconstruction zones to assist with rebuilding. However, I'm not out of the hospital five minutes when two people appear in front of me, facing me with stoic expressions on their faces. The two of them are dressed in robes befitting members of the village council, and I recognize both of the elders from my trips before the village council.

_Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado._

The two elderly councilors look me up and down, and I can't help but get a feeling that the two of them have some important business to discuss with me.

"Hinata Hyuga." Homura greets me, nodding his head politely.

Koharu nods her head politely as well, and I know that for me such a motion speaks volumes.

"Do the two of you have something you wish to speak to me about?" I ask politely.

They look to one another, and for some reason I'm reminded of my time with Jiraiya and Tsunade. The look that Koharu and Homura share is one of those looks that people who've been together a long time and been through a lot commonly share. In the brief moment the two of them look at one another a wordless conversation happens, and then the two of them look back to me.

"We're here to offer you the position of Fifth Hokage." Homura says flatly.

_W-what?_

"You want to make _me_ Hokage? Minato-sama is still around!"

"The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has decided with this incoming alliance that the village needs a leader whose sole focus is the village itself. The Daimyo chose you Hinata."

"I'm very flattered that I was chosen to be the next Hokage." I begin amicably. "But I don't want to be the Fifth or any Hokage." I tell him.

"If not you, then who is suitable?" Homura asks.

_Well, first there's Haruka Uchiha, and then there's Jiraiya and Tsunade. They're all more suited to be the Hokage, much more than I am._

"Well, what about the Sannin?" I ask curiously. "Both of them are very powerful and suited for the position. Besides that, I'm just a Chunin."

"The Daimyo has agreed to you." Koharu insists. "And the village council is in agreement; regardless of your rank you've been chosen by this village to be the Fifth."

_Where is this coming from? Why me?_

"Why me?" I blurt out. "Why not Kushina-san or another Jounin who's been loyal to the village and ready? I'm just a teenager!"

"You possess the same power as the Sage of Six Paths; you've succeeded Jiraiya of the Sannin as a Toad Sage, and have proven to the people that you've inherited the will of the Sage of Six Paths. Who else would be better suited to lead this village?"

I shake my head slowly, trying to think of some way out of the appointment.

"Can I at least think about this?" I ask.

"You may have the next twenty four hours to decide. During that time you shouldn't try to leave the village, or you'll be deemed a missing ninja and treated as such."

"Return to the tower at this time tomorrow with your answer."

"I will." I answer, and the both of them nod.

Ever since we returned and delivered the scroll Naruto has been doing whatever he can to help the village. Neji however has turned the Hyuga manor, one of the few buildings that wasn't heavily damaged, into a shelter for refugees. Now I stand outside the newly erected gate to the manor.

_Should I even be here? I just finished asking Tsunade to adopt me into her family because I'm not a Hyuga anymore, and yet here I am._

The gate to the Hyuga manor swings inward. Neji steps through and he hasn't really changed that much since I handed him the secrets of the clan. He must know that I've been standing here, because he smiles at seeing me.

"Hinata-sama, what brings you here?" Neji asks politely.

"I was actually wondering if I could talk to you." I answer him.

He smiles genially, motioning inside.

"Please, come in." He bids me enter.

I walk through the gate and Neji closes it behind me. He then steps ahead of me and starts walking and I graciously fall in step behind him.

"I have opened the Hyuga manor to refugees of the recent tragedies that have befallen our village." He explains as we walk into the building proper. "While conditions are far from ideal, the refugees have a roof over their heads and protection from the elements. Thanks to the work of the clan and the respect of the refugees I have been able to offer these people sanctuary and keep our clan's secrets secret."

"Grandmother would be proud to see that you've risen to the challenge and are helping people." I compliment him.

The two of us round a corner and a door seven feet down the hall opens. Hizashi steps out into the hall holding a bundle of what looks like bloody bandages. Seeing the man who sought to manipulate me into killing him and getting locked away in a jail cell I stop in my tracks and can't help but stare. Neji immediately takes notice and stops a step ahead of me.

"With recent events, every able bodied person is needed to help. Since Otou-san has shown remorse for his crimes, and sworn never to try and harm you again, he was released on supervised probation. He's been assisting with the refugees ever since."

"Oh." I mutter in surprise, and to my surprise Hizashi bows his head apologetically to me.

"I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart." He says earnestly. "I will never try to harm you again. If I had known that you were going to do what you did I never would've destroyed your family records." He apologizes.

"At the time I was angry. But things have changed. I can no longer be called a Hyuga other than in name only, so I had to choose a suitable heir. Neji was the most suitable choice, and I can already tell that my choice wasn't wrong."

"Well, I have to clean these bandages, I wish you all the best Hinata-san."

With that Hizashi bows his head and then walks past me, clutching his bundle of bloody bandages. I watch Hizashi walk away, and I can feel Neji looking at me as his father rounds the corner and disappears from my sight.

"Shall we go speak somewhere in private?" He asks, and I nod.

Neji leads me through the manor to the clan head's private office. He goes in first, and I follow. Neji closes the door behind me, and looking around I can say that the office hasn't changed at all since the last time I was here. The walls are lined with bookshelves, a large darkly stained desk resting in the back of the room with a plush chair behind it. Two wooden chairs rest in front of the desk, obviously meant for any visitors. Neji walks around the desk, sitting down in the chair he motions toward one of the chairs in front of him.

"Please, sit." He bids me sit, and I do, taking the seat on my left. "You may speak freely here; there are no listening devices in this office."

"I've been offered the position of Hokage." I tell him.

Neji's face doesn't show a hint of emotion as he sits behind the desk.

"Did Minato-sama perish?" Neji asks coolly, and I shake my head no.

"Minato-sama has been elected to leadership of the shinobi alliance." I explain. "Due to the increase in his responsibilities the Daimyo believes that a new Hokage whose primary concern is Konoha should be appointed. The council and the Daimyo got together and I was selected to fill that role."

"Congratulations. I assume you accepted the appointment?" He asks, and I shake my head no.

"No, I haven't." I tell him. "I feel like I haven't done anything to earn the position or that I even deserve it."

"I feel that you have." Neji says casually. "You protected the village from Akatsuki, fought off Sasuke and protected the village from his flames and even kept the Akatsuki reinforcements for Sasuke from doing anything to the village."

_That's only because Madara didn't mean to do anything to the village, yet._

"People have begun to think of me as the Sage of Six Paths, and I think that's been affecting their decisions."

"With that manifestation and all the things you've done, can you blame them?"

"I never asked for their allegiance, I never asked to be a leader."

"I never asked to be the leader of Hyuga, but there are times when you must step up and do what you can to protect others."

"I don't feel like I'm ready to be Hokage, I'm just a teenager."

"We all have our burdens to bear."

_He's right about that, everyone has their burden to bear._

"Thank you Neji-san." I thank him.

An hour later I approach the Hokage manor. The manor managed to only suffer minor damage in Sasuke's attack, so once the repairs were finished Kushina opened the manor for use as a temporary administration building for the village business while the damage to the tower is repaired. With that change, people come and go, and several shinobi now stand guard and check people coming and going into the manor. Approaching the gate I stop for the guard, showing him my ID before advancing. Naruto has been here, acting as a gopher and doing whatever he can to help the running of the village go as smoothly as possible. Even with everyone pitching in, the village has suffered two major blows inside of a month, and it will be months before the repairs are completed.

Walking inside I enter the manor proper, and the place has certainly taken on a different atmosphere now that it's being used as an administrative facility instead of a family home. While I'm in the halls the people that pass me give me a wide berth, and they all nod respectfully at me as I pass.

_Naruto is this way, I just know it._

Following my feelings, I walk to an open doorway and peek inside. I see that he's sitting in a repurposed bedroom and I get the feeling that he's basically working as Kushina's secretary. He sits on the bed, papers strewn about in front of him, his eyes darting from one paper to another. Reaching out I gently knock on the door frame, and Naruto's head pops up from the papers.

"You have a minute?" I ask curiously, and Naruto blinks, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah…" He breathes with a weary sigh.

_He's been working himself ragged. Not only that but I'm under light duty orders from the medical corps. They don't want me doing something to overexert myself after everything that's just happened. I don't know why all the attention is on me, Naruto is the one who fought off Sasuke, not me._

Stepping into the room, Naruto smiles, standing up from the bed he approaches me and puts his arms around me, the two of us sharing a quick kiss. Looking down at me with a genuine smile on his face I can't help but feel happy and smile, even though I've got so much on my mind.

"So, what's up?" He asks casually.

"I've been offered the position of Fifth Hokage." I tell him.

Surprise flashes in his eyes.

"Really?" He asks, and I nod.

"The Daimyo believes with your father's new responsibilities the needs of the village won't be his primary responsibility. He wants another Hokage who will look out for the village rather than the rest of the lands."

"Wow." Naruto mutters.

"I'm thinking of turning it down." I tell him. "I know that it's an honor just to be chosen, but I'm still only a teenager."

"It's your choice." Naruto says with a shrug. "I'll support you regardless of whichever path you choose."

Hearing that, I can't help but smile wider, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Naru-kun." I smile, kissing him lovingly.

An hour later I sit atop Minato's head on the Hokage Mountain. The wind blows gently through my hair, the smell of burnt flesh still on the wind and the sounds of construction resonating from the village below. The air is cool, a stark contrast to a day ago when some of the fires still burned. Looking down at the village I can see people milling about, the desire to rebuild what was lost and bring back some sense of normalcy bringing the people together in way that a single person never could.

_It's nice up here. The air is cool and the area is silent. I've always liked this place; ever since I first came up here I can't help but be reminded of my time spent meditating on Myoboku. I feel like I'm back there, the gentle sounds of the oil lake, the toads quietly mulling about, it was like another world._

A woman's grunt pulls me from my thoughts and I look toward the lip of the carving to see a familiar hand reach up and grab ahold of the top of the mountain. With a grunt of exertion Tsunade pulls herself up and into a sitting position. Tsunade looks over at me with a frown on her face, her breathing labored.

"You know…" She begins, panting in exhaustion. "…you're really hard to find…when you want to be." She finishes.

I look at her with curiosity in my eyes.

"You were trying to find me?" I ask hesitantly.

She blinks in surprise before she shakes her head slowly.

"Tch…why wouldn't I try and find you? I've spent the last four hours filling out goddamn paperwork so I could formally adopt you into my family." She practically growls, allowing her irritation to show in her voice.

_She's handling that now?_

"You didn't have to do that right away. I know it's just a formality and it won't mean that I'm actually you're daughter or anything. A part of me just wanted to belong to the clan that Madara says I'm the embodiment of."

"Madara, as in Madara Uchiha?" She asks curiously, and I nod.

"You know about Madara Uchiha?" I ask curiously.

_In the academy his name or the Uchiha is never once mentioned during the history lesson on the founding of the village. Then again, neither is the Senju clan. What we're told in the academy is that Konoha was founded when a bunch of clans came together that didn't have a place to call home. Those clans bound together to form the fifth great Hidden Village. What the story in the academy doesn't say is the name of those clans, nor does it mention that it was really just _two_ main clans that founded the village, not a group. The truth is that it was the Senju and the Uchiha coming together that started this village. Then the Senju leader won leadership of the village and was declared the First Hokage. The Uchiha were given special power as the police of the entire village. From what I can tell Madara had some problem with the way things were going and wanted to revolt, but his clan probably wasn't too gung ho with the idea of starting another conflict after just making peace with their most hated enemies. _

_ I guess in hindsight, he was probably right. The Uchiha clan is nearly extinct, only two known members of it left, one of them immortal and the other immoral. But the Senju are no better, the first died and so did his brother the second. Tsunade is the last known member of the clan, the last living descendent of the First. In a way you could say that the Senju paid the price for starting this village, and are just as close to extinction as the Uchiha._

"My grandfather would tell me stories about him when I was little. She said that he was a man unlike any other. When he fought against my grandfather he actually summoned the Kyuubi into the fight and manipulated it, and even then my grandfather still defeated him." Tsunade reminisces.

"Did you think that he could still be alive?"

She shakes her head no.

"No, actually it's impossible. The man would be over one hundred years old and if he was still alive would be nothing but a shriveled up husk of a creature. He'd hardly be able to move, much less teleport around like some spirit."

"He claims that he's _the _Madara Uchiha, and he knew about how Konoha was founded. He told me the story about the Sage of Six Paths and how the Senju and Uchiha were pitted against one another."

"And you believed him?" Tsunade asks dubiously.

"Why would he lie about what he is? I've seen his eyes, he has a Sharingan."

"So? A Sharingan just means he has Uchiha blood. He could be some unknown who was born to a woman who didn't have the Sharingan and was married off to someone in another village."

"I suppose, but how many Uchiha females were married off in the previous generation? They wanted to protect their bloodline, just like the Hyuga. Even if my husband was a foreigner I wouldn't have been allowed to leave the village because my children could be too heavily involved in the clan. I think the Uchiha probably had similar practices to keep anyone who might manifest the Sharingan in the village."

"Maybe." Tsunade says with a shrug. "Once you sign some papers your name will be Hinata Senju, and I'll legally be your mother, though I can't change what your children will be."

"If my children are born with the Byakugan, they'll be pressed into a branch family and branded with the curse seal."

Saying it I can't help but frown.

_Even though I no longer have the Byakugan the bloodline is in my genes, and if Naruto and I ever have children then it's very possible those children will be born with the Byakugan. If that happens then I won't be able to raise them. As soon as it's safe the child will be taken from me and put into a branch family, and I won't be allowed to have any contact with he/she again. The only other option I have for raising a child with the Byakugan is to run away from the village and go into hiding, but then I'd be deemed a criminal shinobi by Konoha and with the new worldwide shinobi alliance I probably wouldn't have a safe haven in any country. Before I could've probably gone to the Cloud or Sand and bartered for clan status and protection. Most villages would love have their own set of Byakugan wielding shinobi, and I still remember everything my grandmother taught me and I mastered during my time away._

I shake my head, clearing my head of the depressing thoughts.

"Something wrong Hinata?" Tsunade asks gently, and I quickly smile happily at the woman.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about what might happen to my children if they were born with the Byakugan."

"Well, I for one hope that every child you have has Naruto's eyes." She says with a hint of spite in her voice. "I never really did agree with some of the practices that clan kept up with. Denying a mother the right to see her child is downright wrong."

_So, she knows about my upbringing._

"Me too, I really appreciate everything you've done for me Tsunade-okaa-san."

"I can't imagine Kushina will be too happy to hear that I've adopted you." She grins. "I know for a fact that she was looking forward to the day when you and Naruto finally tie the knot."

"Well, Naruto and I aren't engaged yet, and when everything settles down we'll probably get married. It would be weird if they adopted me and then I married him. Plus with everything going on it just isn't the right time to get married."

"There _is _that." Tsunade remarks dryly. "Though I'm sure Kushina will want to have a word with you when the adoption papers cross her desk."

"How did she manage to assume the responsibilities like that? I thought with Minato gone the council would take direct control of the shinobi, or maybe one of the other councilors would assume the title."

"Oh, one of them did." Tsunade remarks dryly. "Danzo tried to assume the position, and the only thing that stopped him was that Jiraiya and I were both there, and your cousin sided with us. We elected to have Kushina assume emergency powers, so Danzo called for the appointment of a new Hokage."

"Danzo called for it? I thought the Daimyo wanted a Hokage that would put Konoha first, not Danzo."

"Technically the Daimyo is the one who demanded the appointment, but he never even thought of it until Danzo brought it up and convinced him it was necessary. Of course once candidates were called for Danzo nominated himself. The Daimyo called for any other nominations, and I nominated you, more to impede Danzo than because I wanted you thrust into that position."

"If you didn't want me burdened by the position then why not nominate yourself or Jiraiya-sensei?"

Tsunade scoffs.

"Tch, Jiraiya would never, _ever_ accept a nomination, so I'd be wasting my breath. As for nominating myself, I'm not stupid enough to willingly step up to that without there not being any other choice."

"So, you'd sooner subject me to being Hokage than spare yourself the anguish?" I ask sarcastically, and Tsunade shakes her head.

"I didn't think your nomination would be accepted. I was just trying to buy a few minutes to think of someone else that I could nominate. It was the Daimyo who ended up choosing you. He asked who you were and why your name sounded familiar. When he was told that you're the one who's rumored to be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths and a hero to the entire village, he immediately settled on you."

"Great…" I mutter dryly.

_Chosen to be Hokage, what did I do to deserve _that? _Sure, I fought off Nagato and saved Kakashi Hatake and protected the village from Amaterasu. Other than that I haven't done anything major since I got back, unless it got out that I'm the one who fought against Shukaku during the Chunin exams?_

Thinking about what happened back then, it's like another life time, yet it was only four short years ago that Orochimaru made his bid for the death of Konoha.

Tsunade slides across the smooth stone so that she sits next to me on my right, her knees bent in front of her, her arms on her knees.

"Listen Hinata, I'm sorry that things worked out this way." Tsunade apologizes earnestly. "I never meant for you to become Hokage while you're so young, and I'm not here to pressure you into accepting the appointment. You have every right to deny the appointment and no one can force you to accept the title."

"I know Tsunade-okaa-san." I assure her.

"You should head back." She says patting me on the back for motivation. "Disappear for too long and people will start to think you've abandoned them."

"I know…" I whisper, standing up and brushing myself off.

An hour later I walk into the mission assignment room, which is really just the living room of the Hokage manor with a rectangular table spanning the far end in front of the TV, Kushina sitting on a chair between the TV and the table. Normally the Hokage and several assistants would be here, but with the current situation Kushina is handling it all on her own. I returned here after speaking to Tsunade to sign the adoption papers, and upon my return I was rushed to a waiting room and told that the 'Hokage' wanted to speak with me as soon as she is able about a matter of extreme importance. I know it has to be about the adoption, and that Kushina probably has those papers I'm looking to sign sitting on the table in front of her. I waited for thirty minutes and have only just been called into the room.

The door closes behind me, and I actually _look _at Kushina, the woman wearing her normal civilian clothes, a long black sleeveless dress with red trim. Her violet eyes are red and dark bags hang beneath them. Her hair looks like she just quickly brushed it and clipped it aside.

She frowns upon my entrance, and I must admit that it's one of the very few times that I've ever seen her frown or scowl. The table she sits at is covered with papers, some stacked, some not, and she quickly starts rummaging through them, searching for a particular set.

"Kushina-sama." I greet her, bowing respectfully as she continues to rummage through the files. "You wished to see me?"

She digs for another five seconds, until…

"AH-HA!" She proclaims in victory, her hand grasping a set of papers and thrusting them up into the air in victory.

I keep my face neutral, allowing the woman to enjoy her victory. I can't even begin to imagine everything that's been shoved onto her plate. She lowers the papers, holding them at eye level.

"Do you know what these are Hinata?" She asks, holding the papers by the top margin between her thumb and pointer finger.

With five feet between us I can read some of the writing on the paper, though I don't need to be able to read the papers to know what this must be about.

"Those are the adoption papers filled out by Tsunade Senju to adopt me into her family as her daughter."

Kushina smiles sarcastically.

"Very good." She compliments with her voice oozing sarcasm. "What I've called you here for is to ask you why you want Tsunade to adopt you."

"How do you know that it isn't Tsunade who wanted to adopt me?" I ask curiously.

"Because on the paperwork it lists the reason for adoption, and Tsunade wrote that it's because you asked for it." Kushina remarks matter of factly. "Did Naruto do something to you that you no longer want to be a part of our family?"

I blink in surprise.

"No! What makes you think that's my reason for wanting to be a Senju?"

"Well, I can't think of any other reason why you'd rather join her clan than ours."

"Well, Naruto and I aren't engaged yet, though hopefully eventually we will marry, but it _will_ look weird if your family adopts me and then I marry my adopted brother." I say. "So, if Tsunade adopts me into her family I'll be a Senju rather than a Namikaze and it won't look strange if I marry Naruto."

"I suppose. I just thought that maybe Naruto did something to you to make you angry, and this was your way at getting back at him."

I shake my head no.

"It's nothing like that, Kushina-sama." I explain to her.

"Then you'll have to sign these papers. Once you do that and I put the village's seal on them your adoption will be official."

"Thank you, Kushina-sama."

With her direction I sign the appropriate places and Kushina puts the seal of the Hokage on the papers, officially making me a Senju rather than a Hyuga. Once that's done Kushina puts the papers aside, looking up at me seriously.

"Are you going to accept the appointment to Fifth Hokage?" She asks, and I blink in surprise.

"I…probably not." I answer, shaking my head.

She nods approvingly.

"Good, you shouldn't have to carry that burden. I'll tear Tsunade a new ear the next time I see her for even nominating you." She growls under her breath.

"Thank you, Kushina-sama."

I take the papers and leave, a small smile on my face.


	38. Chapter 38

(Well, here's Chapter 38. I know it's been a while, and all I can do is apologize for the delay. Real life has a nasty way of dictating my muse and finding the motivation to write a 25+ page chapter to this is difficult. Though I have to say that I think my beta has either dropped off the face of the Earth or something happened, so I had to look this one over. It's been sitting on my computer about 2 weeks now, so enjoy. Leave a comment if you feel so inclined. The next chapter has a major event centered around Naruto, and I think that everyone will agree he isn't being ignored after that.)

Chapter 38: Home

That night I return to my room inside the bunker, and I try to sleep as best I can, because I know that tomorrow I'll have a confrontation with the Hokage's advisors and I'm going to need all my wits to even have a prayer of talking myself out of being nominated as Hokage.

**Scene Transition**

The next morning I wake early and dress, leaving the bunker and heading for the Hokage Tower. Early in the morning there's very little foot traffic going on in the village. In spite of that fact my face is still very well known, and everyone I see regards me with respect and reverence.

_Sanctimonious pricks…_ A voice in my mind whispers. _When you were a child and heir to the Hyuga clan they all hated you. Now they think you're the greatest and a big hero. It isn't like you did what you did for them, you did it to protect Naruto, Kushina, Shino, Fumiko and everyone else you care about. If Nagato could've leveled the village but spared the people you cared about you wouldn't have cared, it's what they all deserve…_

Thinking that causes me to stop in the middle of the street, and I blink in surprise at the thoughts, wondering briefly where they're coming from.

_Would I really have let Nagato kill everyone in the village if he had left Naruto and the others alone and let them live? Am I really that hateful that I would go along with that?_

"Be careful Hinata…" Nagato's voice whispers a warning. "Your demon's chakra steadily leaks into your system, and even now it seeks to influence you, to bring about its release."

At Nagato's words I remember the time I blacked out during my training, the same time I very nearly killed both Jiraiya and Tsunade.

_I have to find some way to control the Kyuubi. If this goes on then one day it could break out of the seal and destroy everything. There's no way I'll merge with it or anything like that, ever. I'm its container, its jailor, and that's all I'm going to be._

_ Think about that later! You have a meeting to get to, you have to turn down the appointment of Hokage remember?_

Putting the thoughts about the demon aside for now I start down the path again, heading for the tower. Fifteen minutes later I arrive at the tower, and standing outside the tower are Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the two village council members and advisors to the Hokage. Approaching the two of them I steel my nerves, setting my face in an impassive mask, losing control of my emotions won't help me win this argument.

"Hinata Hyuga, have you made your choice?" Homura asks calmly and I nod solemnly.

I open my mouth to say 'No' when there's a loud POP and a cloud of smoke appears three feet to my right, the cloud easily large enough to conceal a full grown man. My instincts kick in and I drop into a fighting stance, my left hand traveling down toward my weapon pouch when the cloud dissipates revealing Jiraiya standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, a disapproving scowl on his face. Seeing it's Jiraiya and not a threat, I lower my arms and relax my stance, my gaze darting between Koharu and Homura and then to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, what are you doing here?" Koharu asks in surprise, her eyebrows raised and a suspicious glint in her eyes.

Homura's face on the other hand may as well have been chiseled from stone. If he's surprised at Jiraiya's unexpected arrival he's determined not to show it.

"Now…you two couldn't possibly be thinking of offering the position of Hokage to a sixteen year old girl could you?" Jiraiya asks rhetorically.

"It is the will of the Daimyo." Homura answers him matter of factly. "The girl is the successor to the legendary Sage of Six Paths and is regarded as a hero by nearly everyone in the village."

"She's also just a sixteen year old girl." Jiraiya shoots back matter of factly, sparing me an apologetic glance before his face turns back Koharu and Homura, changing into a cold scowl. "Make her Hokage and she'll end up hating this village and finishing what Pain started."

Both of them stare at him with deadly serious expressions on their faces.

"What would you propose we do, Jiraiya of the Sannin?" Koharu speaks up. "The girl has been chosen by the Daimyo, and no other suitable candidates have stepped forward."

"I can't let a teenager assume the position of Hokage." Jiraiya proclaims matter of factly, uncrossing his arms before he looks to me his expression softening as he continues. "It isn't that I don't think you're immature or anything Hinata, but a teenager shouldn't be entrusted with running an entire village, regardless of how special that teenager is. It's inconceivable. You might be an adult in the eyes of the village but you're still just a child, and you should be free to live your life, fall in love and do all the things you want to do before you're tied down like this." Jiraiya explains before his expression hardens into a scowl as he turns his gaze back to Homura and Koharu. "I'll take the job; a Sannin is acceptable isn't it?"

The three of us are completely silent at that, and it's obvious that both Homura and Koharu are surprised at Jiraiya's proclamation, just like I am.

_Well, Tsunade doesn't know him completely, apparently._

After spending three and a half years with him I _thought _I knew the Hermit of Myoboku fairly well. Before today I would've told you that there was _no_ way that he would ever volunteer for the position of Hokage, especially after listening to his student complain about the position every time they get together to speak.

"The Sannin were both considered successors to the Fourth should he pass away." Homura comments and Jiraiya stares at the both of them unblinking.

"Hinata is just a teenager. She isn't the Sage of Six Paths and shouldn't be treated like a reincarnation of him. She wasn't born with the Rinnegan; it was given to her by the man who nearly destroyed the village on his deathbed." Jiraiya insists, keeping his gaze locked on the Hokage's advisors.

"Regardless of how Hinata came to possess the Sage's dojutsu she is the focal point of a lot of attention. The people of the village believe her to be a messiah and that she will guide them to lasting peace." Homura argues.

"Do you have any idea how you're going to create world peace Hinata?" Jiraiya asks without ever taking his gaze from Homura and Koharu.

I really don't have any idea how I'm going to do what the Sage of Six Paths and countless others have failed to do, so I shrug my shoulders apologetically.

"I have no idea how I'm going to make people cast aside their hatred and learn to love one another." I admit as I slip my hands into my pockets, looking away from the two advisors.

"See?" Jiraiya continues. "She's just a teenager. She isn't concerned with being Hokage or leading the world to peace. All she wants to do is live her life and protect the people she cares about."

Homura nods agreeably, his mouth set in a thin line.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin, your offer to assume the position of Fifth Hokage is hereby accepted. Congratulations." Homura says in a flat emotionless voice.

"Yeah…" Jiraiya mutters dryly, lowering his arms. "Congratulations to me."

**Scene Transition**

Word gets around quickly, and within twenty four hours the village is abuzz that Jiraiya of the Sannin has been appointed as Hokage. Two days later the village holds a coronation ceremony, the entire village showing up to see Jiraiya officially begin his duties as Hokage. Myself, as well as Naruto, Kushina, Tsunade and the rest of the village council all stand atop the tower near the door. Looking out Jiraiya stands on the edge of the roof, the Hokage's long white robe fluttering around his shins as he holds onto the Hokage's hat with his left hand. The crowd below cheers in approval, chanting Jiraiya's name as the man removes the hat, grinning down at the assembled crowd before him.

"Long live _Icha Icha_!" Jiraiya boldly declares, throwing the hat into the air in celebration and making a V for victory with his right hand.

The people below cheer louder, and both Tsunade and Kushina shake their heads in disapproval, the same thoughts reflected on their faces as I feel.

_Is this really what needs to happen, or is this just the best in a worst case scenario?_

**Scene Transition**

Hours later the coronation ceremony is over, and both Naruto and I walk to the Hokage's manor, the both of us solemn at the prospect of moving out and finding a new place to live.

_Though technically Minato is still Hokage, he's just out of the village at the moment and has been entrusted with running a Unified Shinobi Alliance. Though Jiraiya is the Fifth and I'm sure that once things get settled a bit then they'll ask Naruto, me and Kushina to move out of the Hokage's manor._

As Naruto and I approach the manor two men in nobleman's clothes stand next to gate and I get the feeling that the two of them are waiting for me.

_Oh no, what now?_

"Ah, good morning Hy…Senju-san, Namikaze-san!" One of them says in greeting. "We've been waiting for you!"

"Can I help you?" Naruto asks pleasantly.

The two men are dressed in noblemen's clothing. They both have the soft skin and perfect completions of people who haven't ever had to spend a day outside and never worried a day in their lives about money or anything else. They're both dressed in dark robes with ornate designs in the fabric, the clothing probably made of silk. They both have dark hair, one has it cut short and slicked back while the other has it long and tied with a thong at the nape of his neck, the dark hair shiny and soft, not a speck of dirt in it.

The two of them have their arms in their sleeves, both of them standing straight and proper.

"We're here to give a present to Hinata Senju." The long haired noble explains, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"What present?" Naruto asks calmly.

"As the hero who carries the will and power of the Sage of Six Paths, a manor has been built for you." The second, short haired noble explains.

_They built a house for me?_

"We'll take you to it, so please follow us."

Naruto looks to me, and I shrug my shoulders, nodding cautiously toward him.

"Sure…" Naruto agrees with palpable hesitation.

The two nobles start walking, and the two of us fall in step behind them. The two nobles lead us through the village and it isn't long before I notice the newly erected house in the distance.

_That must be it…_

The house is large and expensive looking and could easily rival the Hokage Manor. It sits on a ½ acre plot of land that's been walled off with a concrete wall and a large green dual door gate at the front. The land around the house is plush with grass and trees at the corners of the estate. There's a statue between the gate and the front door of house, but I can't get a good look at it over the wall. It can only really be described as a mansion though it's more suited to one of the rich nobles of the village or maybe even the Hyuga clan, but instead they're going to give it to me.

"This house was built in your honor." The first noble explains as the four of us walk around the 7 foot high wall surrounding the estate. "It was only just completed yesterday."

"It seems really nice." I comment as we stop at the gate leading inside. "But I really think it would be best if you left refugees live here rather than just give it to me."

"This house was completed especially for you Lady Senju. Whatever you choose to do with it is your prerogative, though reconstruction is nearly complete, and very few are left still without homes."

"Well…I suppose I could at least check it out…"

"Splendid!" The first agrees, opening one of the gates.

The two of them lead us inside, and I get a good look at the statue I noticed earlier. The Statue is a made of gray stone, and is a person, or rather two people standing back to back. It stands seven feet tall with a three foot high base. The side facing the gate is me, my face rendered in a proud expression complete with the Rinnegan carved into the statue's eyes. The side facing into the manor is a representation of the Sage of Six Paths, the visage carved into the stone nearly identical to the face that appeared when I lost control of my body when Madara showed up.

_They really believe that I'm going to be the one to bring the world to peace… _

"You're a big hit with the Rinnegan…" Nagato's voice whispers in my ears. "I was treated the same way, by Yahiko and Konan and the others. They believed I was the messiah."

I don't respond to Nagato's comment, keeping the fact that he even spoke to me to myself and instead focusing on the house as the man leads me through the two level home, showing me the living area, dojo, full kitchen, powder room, and upstairs the two 'guest' bedrooms and a master bedroom complete with full bathroom attached to the bedroom. There's even a second bathroom upstairs as well. There's even a door in one the guest bedrooms that leads up to an attic, and a door in the kitchen that leads down into a basement. The tour ends with the four of us downstairs near the front door.

"You're really just giving all of this to me?" I ask curiously, and the first noble nods.

"Of course. This village is proud of its shinobi, and we take care of the stand outs and encourage them to thrive. We hope that this house will be the start of another great and powerful clan."

_One can only hope…_

**Scene Transition**

Several hours later I finish moving my things from the Hokage manor into my new home. Naruto has been a big help with my moving in, and right now I'm just tightening down the sheets on the master bed, smoothing the sheets as footsteps sound from the hall outside the room. Naruto appears in the doorway a second later, his open vest hanging from his shoulders revealing the black t shirt underneath, a grin on his features.

"The two guest beds are made if you wanna let someone use em." Naruto leans against the doorframe.

He's been a major help, after the two noblemen left Naruto reminded me that I needed to buy bed clothes, silverware, appliances, curtains and other necessities. Fortunately the house already has some furniture, and whatever I've needed Naruto has been more than happy to send his shadow clones out as gophers.

_Well, I did have quite a nest egg saved up thanks to grandmother and living off of other people all this time, and Minato even had an account set up with a high interest yield in my name. A lot of that money was spent getting settled in here, but this is hopefully the last time I'll ever have to buy most of these things, hopefully…_

"You know…if you wanna bring some of your things over and keep them here I wouldn't be adverse to it." I suggest with a smile.

He looks thoughtful, cupping his chin in his hand and muttering 'hmm.'

"Well…I don't _have _to…"

Standing up I walk over to him and wrap him in my arms, surprising him before I press my lips to his, slipping my tongue into his mouth. Pulling back after a moment I look into his eyes with a smile on my face.

"I'd rather you stay here." I tell him, and his eyes twinkle in a certain way that I know exactly what he's thinking about. "But, you have to bring your things over _before_ we break in the bed."

Naruto nods and I lower my arms before he disappears from the doorframe like he's been shot out of a cannon.

**Scene Transition**

The next morning I'm lying in bed. The night I moved in to my new home Naruto and I hardly slept a wink. A light coat of sweat rests against my skin. Sitting up I hold the blankets to my chest as look around to see Naruto out of bed and looking around. He's wearing his boxers and is on his hands and knees, feeling around the floor for something in the dark.

"What's wrong Naru-kun?"

He freezes in surprise, slowly turning his head toward me he laughs nervously.

"Uh, nothing. I'm just looking for something."

Wrapping a blanket around my body I slip off the edge of the bed and onto my bare feet, the plush burgundy carpet soft beneath my feet.

"I'm going to go grab a shower."

I start walking toward the bathroom door when Naruto speaks up from behind me.

"Hey! Wait a sec!"

Turning around Naruto is now on his feet with his hands behind his back. His face is red…

_What does he have to be embarrassed about?_

"It isn't very much, but…" He trails, walking toward me and dropping to one knee.

_He's…_

The realization of what he's doing dawns on me a second before he takes his hands from his back and holds out a small black jewelry case. Opening the case he reveals a gold ring with a modestly sized diamond mounted in it.

_It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!_

"Hinata Senju, will you marry me?" Naruto proposes.

For nearly ten seconds the room is silent, and Naruto kneels there holding the ring out and waiting for my reply. When I don't say anything, the confidence seems to bleed out of Naruto's face, his eyes looking away and his elbows bending slightly, a hint of concern coming into his voice.

"Umm…?" He mutters in a low voice.

I snap out of my delirium, remembering how to speak and that I need to say something.

"Yes!" I adamantly agree. "A thousand times yes!"

He sighs in relief, suppressing a chuckle he removes the ring from the box and slides it onto my finger, the ring fitting snugly on my hand. For a moment it's all I can do to look down at the ring finger, and the diamond sparkling there.

"Hinata?" A familiar female voice echoes from the front door.

Both Naruto and I share a knowing look.

"We need to get dressed, now!" I articulate my thoughts and Naruto nods eagerly.

The two of us throw on our clothes in a mad rush, and I forgo putting on the jacket or the haori instead just settling on the black fishnet sleeved shirt and the blue pants.

"I'll be just a minute!" I call out to Kurenai from the doorway of the bedroom.

Checking my appearance in the doorway just to make sure, I bolt out of the room like I'm shot out of a cannon. My feet practically never even touch the steps as I bolt down the stairs and run toward the front door. Stopping at the door a moment I take a deep breath to compose myself before I step out of the front door. Walking to the gate I open it from the inside to see Kurenai standing there with Norito in her arms wrapped in a blue blanket.

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei, little Norito…" I greet them with a smile.

Kurenai smiles at the greeting, Norito silent in her arms.

"He's a little sleepy right now so you'll have to forgive him if he doesn't say hi." Kurenai apologizes with an easy smile. "Can we come in?"

"Sure." I motion for her to enter.

She walks through the open gate, the gate closing behind her. Following Kurenai inside I lead her to the sitting room, offering her a chair she eagerly sits down. Sitting across from her on the sofa her red eyes glance around the room, taking in the room's simple decoration.

"Unfortunately I just moved in yesterday and I haven't had time to buy drinks or refreshments yet."

"That's OK Hinata, I know that you just moved in, so don't worry about it."

"Well…how have you been Kurenai-sensei?"

"My maternity leave is almost up so I'll have to return to active duty soon." Kurenai explains.

Normally a female shinobi would take years of time off to devote herself to being a mother. Normally those kunoichi never return to active duty, focusing instead on raising their family instead of supporting the village. With the recent events and losses to Konoha's shinobi, people like Kurenai are needed all the more; so she'll likely have to hire a nanny or have a member of her family look after Norito while she's working. It's unfortunate, but it can't be avoided. Even with the Alliance, if Konoha were to show weakness the other members of the alliance wouldn't hesitate to dissolve the Alliance and pounce, annihilating the village and splitting the spoils, probably fighting amongst themselves over who would lay claim to the Hyuga and their Byakugan and if Haruka survives her Sharingan.

"I hope to have the situation with Akatsuki resolved before that happens…" I explain for Kurenai, trailing off when I see her smiling at me. "Is something wrong? Is something on my face?"

Kurenai shakes her head slowly, chuckling lightly.

"It's nothing like that. I just never thought that a pupil of mine would rise like you have, though I can't really take much of the credit because both Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama spent four years with you, you only spent a few months with me."

"I only did what I did to protect the people I care about. However history chooses to remember what I've done is completely out of my control. Just like the Sage of Six Paths couldn't dictate whether or not other people called him a messiah. He just did what he did to protect people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's true." Kurenai agrees. "However the Sage had abilities that no one else at the time did, fantastic abilities that no one else had that he could've used for good or evil, and he too chose to protect those who couldn't protect themselves." Pausing Kurenai looks toward the door, a grin coming to her face. "Why don't you come in Naruto?"

"Geh!" Naruto starts from behind the wall.

Naruto emerges from behind the doorframe, scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment before he walks into the room, taking a seat next to me on my right on the sofa across from Kurenai.

_Her senses haven't dulled in spite of her being on maternity leave for over a year._

"It's nice to see you Kurenai-sensei." Naruto says in greeting.

Kurenai's eyes look to Naruto and then me, a smile coming to her face.

"You two are lovers now." She says more statement than question.

Both of us blush in embarrassment and Kurenai giggles playfully, her next question coming out naturally.

"Do Minato and Kushina know?"

Naruto shrugs his shoulders and I mirror the expression.

"They probably know, but they haven't discouraged us from being together, so…" I answer.

"Ah…so that must be an engagement ring on your finger Hinata?" Kurenai asks astutely.

Blushing cherry red in embarrassment Kurenai giggles at my reaction, clearly pleased with what she's done.

**Scene Transition**

"See you two later!" Kurenai says good bye, waving to both Naruto and I as we stand in the gate to my home.

It's now near noon, and the three of us spent hours just chatting. Most of what we talked about was stuff that happened since we last spoke, and Kurenai told us about what's going on in her life, how Norito first crawled and all the other firsts that come with raising a baby.

With Kurenai disappearing from sight both of us start back into the house, closing the gate and the front door behind us.

"It's good to see our old sensei after all this time." Naruto comments and I nod my head in agreement.

The door bell goes off; an electronic chime that echoes throughout the entire house, signaling that someone else is at the gate. Both Naruto and I share a questioning look, the unspoken question between us being 'who could that be?'

"Maybe Kurenai-sensei forgot something?" Naruto suggests.

Naruto stays in the house a moment while I leave the house and head for the gate. Opening the gate reveals not Kurenai-sensei but Kushina Namikaze. The red haired woman wears her normal clothes and smoldering anger in her eyes.

"Kushina-san…" I greet the woman, and Naruto emerges from the house, spotting his mother he quickly ducks back inside, trying in vain to avoid detection by his mother.

_Did he sneak out or not tell her he was here?_

Kushina scowls past me toward the front door, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Time to come out Nar-u-to…" Kushina says his name in a sing song tone and Naruto emerges from the doorframe, looking like a child who got caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "What are you doing here Naruto?"

"Uh…I just got here?" Naruto tries to lie, but Kushina sees right through it.

"You never came home last night." She says matter of factly. "That and most of your stuff is missing from your room."

Naruto's face turns red in embarrassment and I quickly raise the ring on my ring finger, showing it to my soon to be mother-in-law.

"Naruto just proposed to me."

Kushina looks at the ring for a few moments, scrutinizing the relatively modest diamond ring before she nods approvingly.

"It's about time." She says with a grunt. "Can I come inside?"

"Sure." I agree, motioning for her to come inside.

As Kushina enters the house she slips off her shoes before she follows me to the sitting room. Motioning for her to sit down on a chair I take a seat on the sofa across the coffee table. Naruto takes a seat next to me, the two of us intertwining our fingers while Kushina looks on.

"Sorry." I apologize to her. "I haven't had time to stock up on drinks or snacks, so I can't offer you anything. I didn't think I'd have visitors this quickly."

"It's fine. I understand that things have been hectic lately." Kushina says with a dismissive wave.

"So…how did you know that I was living here now?"

"I know practically everything that happens inside the village." Kushina says matter of factly. "Funding for the construction of this house was made through the village, I personally approved it."

"Oh…"

_She personally approved the funding for building this house? Then she had to know all of this would happen…_

"Well, not that I don't enjoy talking with you, but I did come here to speak about something specific."

"What's up Kushina-sama?"

"Minato will be arriving tomorrow along with the other four Kage and their respective entourages."

_Tomorrow?_

"Wha…?" Naruto mumbles in surprise.

"Konoha will be the first village to host the unified shinobi government. Every six weeks thereafter the governing council will rotate from village to village."

"Wow…" I mutter in surprise, and Kushina continues.

"In his latest message it's explicitly stated that Minato wants you present to welcome them to the village." Kushina continues. "That and he has ordered the ANBU moved up to high alert for the duration of the council's time in Konoha. Minato isn't going to risk another catastrophe while all five of the Kage are present in one village."

"What about Jiraiya-sensei? Shouldn't he be present to welcome the others?"

"He's got his hands full just handling the day to day running of the village." Kushina says with a grin.

_Well, that's to be expected. The village can't appear to be weak so they can't start refusing missions even with this new government._

"So, what can we do?" Naruto asks, and Kushina smiles at her son.

"For now the both of you are on standby." She explains for both of us. "The mission to hunt down Akatsuki will come soon, and your team has the most experience in dealing with them."

With that she stands up, sighing regretfully.

"Unfortunately, I have to get back. Even with Jiraiya there's a lot of prep work to do for tomorrow and if I don't do it, it won't get done."

Both of us stand up as well, following Kushina to the door both Naruto and I embrace the red haired woman before she leaves.

"I'll see you soon Okaa-san." Naruto says his good bye

"See you tomorrow Kushina-sama." I say my good bye as I hug her. "Take care of yourself."

Slipping her shoes on Kushina nods, smiling at the both of us.

"I'll see you both tomorrow." She says her farewell before she waves good bye and slips out the front door.

Following Kushina outside I make sure the gate is closed and no one else is outside before I return to the manor, finding Naruto back in the sitting room, looking thoughtful as he sits on a padded chair.

"I'm going to go grab a shower now."

"OK." Naruto agrees absent mindedly.

**Scene Transition**

Thirty minutes later I emerge from the shower, feeling refreshed. I have a towel wrapped around my body and a second towel wrapped around my hair. Since this is my house I walk out of the bedroom and back to the living area, and Naruto is still in the living area, still sitting on the chair looking thoughtful.

"The shower's all yours."

"Yeah…" He agrees in that same absent minded tone.

Leaning over the back of the chair over his left shoulder, I look down toward his face.

"Naruto what's wrong?" I ask curiously, and he doesn't look at me as he answers.

"The five Kage are coming tomorrow, and I'm worried that something is going to happen since the five of them will all be in one place."

Moving around to his left side I sit on the arm of the chair before reaching out and taking his hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It'll be all right." I try to assure him as I hold his hand and he looks up at me with eyes that aren't so sure.

"Yeah…I guess." He reluctantly agrees, a sly smile coming to his face. "By the way, that look for you is really sexy."

He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before he stands up, stretching his arms and legs.

"I'm going to go use the master bath."

"Go ahead, just keep it neat."

"Yeah, yeah…" He says with a wave of his hand, walking toward the master bedroom.

**Scene Transition**

An hour later I'm fully dressed and standing in the kitchen, working on making a late lunch for Naruto and me. Naruto walks into the kitchen, taking a deep breath.

"That smells good Hime." Naruto says with a grin, and I shrug my shoulders.

"I'm making breakfast for lunch, hope that's OK."

"That's fine. You've always been a good cook." He praises me. "Since you're cooking I'll set the table. One of my clones put all the dishes away, so I know where everything is."

He moves from cabinet to cabinet and drawer to drawer, setting the table for two. Finishing the food I set the bacon, eggs and toast on separate serving plates before I carry them to the table, setting them down as Naruto pulls a chair out for me.

"Would you like something to drink?" Naruto asks as I sit down, and I smile at him.

"Some orange juice would be nice."

"Got it."

He jogs back into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator he grabs a bottle of orange juice and a canned energy drink.

_Not like he really needs an energy drink…_

Coming back into the dining area Naruto pours my drink before he sits down, cracking the can before we both put our hands together.

"Itadakimasu." Both Naruto and I say in unison.

The two of us clean up the food, and once the food is gone Naruto stands up, scooping the dishes up in his arms.

"I'll do clean up, so don't worry about it."

With that I leave the dining room and walk to the living room. Taking a seat on the sofa I sigh contentedly.

_You know…it's almost like we're living together like a married couple. We never really had a chance to talk about it with the recent string of visitors…_

It's then that Naruto walks into the living room, sitting down next to me.

"Naruto…" I trail, and he blinks in surprise, looking at me with his full attention.

"What's up?" He asks casually.

"About the wedding…"

"What about it?"

"Do you have any ideas about it?"

He scratches his head in embarrassment.

"Actually…I was kinda hoping you had some ideas." He says with an embarrassed grin.

"I don't think that right now is a good time for us to get married. Once everything settles down is another story."

"Once Akatsuki has been stopped and the world is safe than we consider getting married." Naruto agrees, and I nod.

**Scene Transition**

It's been an hour since lunch, and I went to the mansion's dojo to meditate. The serenity of the room does a lot to relax me, helping me to clear my mind and just think. After an hour Naruto opens the door, poking his head in.

"Shino just called, wants to know if we can do dinner tonight with him and Fumiko."

"Does he want to eat here?" I ask curiously, and Naruto shakes his head no.

"He wants the four of us to go out together." He clarifies. "You wanna go?"

"Sure." I agree, and Naruto grins victoriously.

**Scene Transition**

Three hours later I emerge from the shower, a towel around my body and another around my head. The reservation for the restaurant is for 5:00 PM, and it's just after 4:00 now. I'd gotten in the shower after Naruto who said he had something to take care of and left.

With my left hand holding the towel to my chest I walk into the master bedroom. The room is quiet and still, no sign of Naruto or anyone else save for two white boxes on top of the bed that wasn't there when I got into the shower. Looking closer at the larger of the two boxes there's a note on top, and I easily recognize Naruto's handwriting. Picking up the note I read it aloud, a smile coming to my face as I read.

"I bought these for you for tonight." The note simply reads followed by his signature.

Setting the note aside I look down at the box, using my free hand to reach out and gently pull the top off the box, revealing its contents. Inside the large box is an elegant looking lavender evening gown along with several jewelry boxes and a handbag arranged around the neatly folded dress. There are three jewelry boxes, one large one and two smaller ones. Inside the larger box is a necklace with Amethyst stones of varying size set into the necklace. Opening the other boxes I find a pair of matching Amethyst earrings in one and an Amethyst studded bracelet in the other. Opening the smaller box I recognize instantly that it's a shoe box, and inside I find a pair of high heel shoes that perfectly matches the dress. Looking at the entire presentation I can't help but smile as I gently set the handbag aside and pick up the dress, looking it up and down, my smile widening as I imagine how I'll look wearing it.

**Scene Transition**

Thirty minutes later I'm wearing the dress, shoes and jewelry and looking at myself in the mirror. The handbag sits on the bed, the boxes empty and closed. I run my hands down the front of the dress, smoothing out any possible lumps in the dress. The door to the hall opens, and Naruto walks inside, dressed in a suit and tie, his hair slicked and neat. He smiles as he walks up behind me, looking at me in the dress and the modest cleavage and my exposed back he grins appreciatively.

"You look great Hina-hime, don't worry so much." He tries to assuage my worries.

Smiling happily at the compliment I give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

_I wonder what Shino will look like in a suit, and what Fumiko will wear…_

"We have a reservation for 5:00, and Shino made the reservation so we shouldn't have to worry about people making a scene." Naruto continues.

"One can only hope." I say with a smile.

**Scene Transition**

Twenty minutes later Naruto and I approach the restaurant Shino chose, the name of the establishment is called Hirashima's, named after the legendary First Hokage. We walk hand in hand and I quickly spot Shino and Fumiko, the two of them waiting outside the restaurant. Shino wears a charcoal colored suit and dark tie and Fumiko wears a black dress with a conservative cut. Both Naruto and I agreed not to bring up our engagement unless they do.

"Naruto, Hinata." Shino says in greeting, tilting his head politely in greeting.

"Naruto-san, Hinata-san." Fumiko greets the two of us with a smile.

"Shino, Fumiko-san." Naruto returns Fumiko's smile and I nod toward them in greeting.

"You look really nice Fumiko-san." I praise Shino's girlfriend. "Shino, you look so different in a suit!"

Shino quickly looks away in embarrassment, the Aburame equivalent of a blush and Fumiko smiles at her beau's squirming under my praise.

"You look really nice too Hinata-san." Fumiko compliments me, and I smile at her, leaning against Naruto's arm.

"Well, Naruto-kun picked this entire outfit for me, so he deserves all the credit!"

Both Shino and Fumiko laugh lightly at that, and Naruto shakes his head slowly.

"Shall we go inside?" He asks, changing the subject and both Shino and Fumiko agree.

The four of us walk into the establishment, gentle piano music filling the air as we enter into the restaurant. The light is low, and the interior of the place gives it an elegant atmosphere, the piano in the far left corner of the room, a man playing the gentle tune that is somehow muted to allow for the patrons to have conversations with the music providing a gentle, calming background. In the middle of the restaurant is a large fireplace, casting flickering light across the interior of the restaurant and providing warm heat.

As we enter Shino is the one to approach the host and does the talking. After a few short words the four of us are lead to a booth, the host setting four menus down on the table, two on either side of the table. Shino and Fumiko take their seats on one side of the table, Naruto and I on the other. Shino sits across from Naruto on the outside of the table, Fumiko across from me.

We all open our menus seemingly at the same time, and looking at the menu I can't help but widen my eyes in surprise at not only the cuisine but also at the prices. Looking the menu over I can honestly say that I've never been into a place that's as expensive as this one, even during the time I was away with Jiraiya and Tsunade, and the whorehouses Jiraiya dragged me into while Tsunade was away gambling.

"It's amazing that this place is still so busy." I comment, my eyes panning around the establishment, eying the aristocracy of the village out for the evening.

"Well, it is far enough away from the blast that the people in this area wouldn't be affected." Naruto chimes in.

"I've heard that reconstruction is going well." Fumiko speaks up. "The latest projections estimate that rebuilding should be done within the month."

_Though I don't know if Konoha will even be standing in a month. If Madara gets ahold of the Hachibi and somehow manages to make eight Jinchuriki loyal to him then this village won't stand a chance…_

It's then that a server comes by, smiling warmly and greeting the four of us.

"Hello there! My name is Jun and I'll be your server tonight! Can I get you four something to drink?"

I quickly bury my head in the menu, trying to hide who I am so I don't cause a scene. We all order, and I do my best to keep my face behind the menu and not look at the server, waiting until the man has left before I even think about lowering the menu to look around.

"Is there something the matter Hinata?" Shino asks casually, his own menu on the table, his sunglass covered eyes looking at me with scrutiny from behind the shades.

"No. Nothing's wrong, I was just looking over the menu. I've never been here before and I wanted to get a good look at everything before I ordered."

Shino stares at me a moment, looking at me with scrutiny in his eyes a moment before he finally looks away, letting the subject drop.

"So, how have the two of you been doing?" Naruto asks, casually changing the subject.

Fumiko smiles at the change in subject.

"This is the first time since the attack that we've stopped to do anything even remotely fun." She explains.

"Well, it is important to take breaks, to recharge your batteries, otherwise you burn yourself out."

"That's true, but I feel a little bad going out to dinner while everyone else is struggling and working to rebuild."

"It's admirable that you want to help, but no one's a super hero, everyone has to stop and recharge."

"Yeah, I guess." Fumiko agrees, and the server begins to approach again.

I quickly raise the menu, feigning interest in one of the meals listed on the menu as the server passes out our drinks.

"You four know what you'd like to order?" The server asks politely.

The four of us order, the server dutifully taking our order and then politely dismissing himself. Once he's gone I lower the menu to see three pairs of eyes looking directly at me with open concern.

"What?" I awkwardly ask, looking around at the three of them, and it's Naruto who answers.

"You're hiding again." He says with a shake of his head.

"I am not." I flat out deny, but Shino presses the issue.

"You have done everything in your power to keep your presence here a secret." Shino says matter of factly.

"Well…" I begin, looking away from him and down toward the table. "People recognize me now, and I don't want to ruin your evening."

As if on cue a dark haired man in a suit approaches the table then, stopping at the side of the table. The three of them quickly look toward him, while I continue to stare down at the table, my peripheral vision enough to let me get a good view of the man and what he's here for.

"Excuse me." He says politely, bowing his head. "You probably don't know me, but my name is Hattori and I'm an ANBU here with some of my colleagues on our night off." He explains to all of us.

"Well, that's good, we were just talking about how ninja need to take time off to relax and unwind. May I ask what business you have with us?" Naruto asks amicably.

"You have Hinata-sama with you, do you not?" Hattori asks calmly, and the hairs stand on the back of my neck at the mention of my name.

I can feel Naruto's gaze settle on me, and I quickly paste on a smile before looking up, doing my best to look sincere as I smile at the man.

"Hello Hattori-san, what can I do for you?" I ask casually, trying not to sound nervous.

"Well, my colleagues and I would really like to meet the both of you, the Hero who stopped Pain and the Second Yellow Flash that fought against Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto and I share a glance, and we both look at Shino and Fumiko, the two of them nodding their approval before Naruto and I stand up at the same time.

"We'll go say hi, but we're out with some friends and can't stay long." I explain, and Hattori nods in understanding.

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Hattori agrees, leading both Naruto and I toward another table that presumably is filled with his colleagues.

Their table is a corner table, a round booth with five people sitting at it. Three of the five are women in evening gowns and the other two of them are men dressed in suits. Looking around the table I can tell just from the way that they carry themselves that it's three couples, and one of the women is an ANBU while the third ANBU is a man. Since the ANBU are forbidden from dating one another, they all have dates that are civilians rather than shinobi.

Hattori quickly introduces us to his friends, and my suspicions are confirmed as he introduces them. They're all happy to meet Naruto and I, the two of us having gained quite a reputation, Naruto for not only being the so called Second Yellow Flash but also for fighting off the rogue 'last Uchiha' when he attacked Konoha. Me, I've gained my reputation thanks to the Rinnegan and the fact that I fought off Nagato when he tried to level the village. I do my best to remember their names as we exchange greetings, and we talk for a few moments. Through the conversation I get the feeling that the 6 of them are good people, the kind who work hard and then go out and have a few drinks after work, honest good natured people. After ten minutes Naruto and I excuse ourselves, saying it's about time we got back to our table, and they once again thank us all for the short meeting, Hattori saying it was nice of them to come over and meet his group before Naruto and I walk away, sitting down at our own table, Shino and Fumiko watching the both of us as we take our seats across from them.

"They were happy to see you." Shino points out, and Naruto nods.

"Yeah, they were good guys."

"Our server says our meal should be here soon." Shino explains.

"That's good. I'm starting to get ravenous." Naruto says jokingly.

Fumiko's eyes settle on me, a smile coming to her face.

"How do you deal with all the adoration that's being heaped on you?" She asks curiously.

"Well…people didn't always adore me. They used to glare angrily at me and treat me like I was some kind of monster."

Fumiko looks puzzled at that, and I don't need the Rinnegan to figure out that Fumiko doesn't know about the Kyuubi.

"You were hated?" Fumiko asks curiously, and both Shino and Naruto's eyes go wide in alarm.

"Well, Hinata was a member of the Hyuga Main Branch, and many people are jealous of what that clan has." Shino tries to explain.

"Though, I'm not a Hyuga anymore. I no longer have the Byakugan and I've passed on the secrets of the clan to Neji-nii-san. Tsunade-okaa-san just recently adopted me into the Senju clan."

"Oh, well congratulations." Fumiko congratulates me.

**Scene Transition**

An hour later the four of us leave Hirashima's, leaving a generous tip as we leave. Together the four of us just walk away from the place, no real destination in mind as we enjoy each other's company.

"If I could, do you think I could speak to the three of you, in private?" Fumiko asks, and Shino looks at Naruto and me, searching for approval.

I nod my agreement and Naruto shrugs his shoulders, his face saying he doesn't care one way or the other. We walk until we find a small bridge running over a creek, and it's relatively out of the way and it's there that Fumiko stops, stepping away from Shino and looking at the three of us one after the other.

"Is something the matter Fumiko-chan?" Shino asks in his normal monotone.

"You three are hiding something." Fumiko says matter of factly, her eyes darting between us.

_Well, that didn't take very long did it?_

Naruto blinks in surprise, his face settling into a blank mask and I quickly look away from Fumiko, afraid my eyes might betray something.

"We all have our secrets Fumiko-chan." Shino says matter of factly.

"It's something about Hinata, when we were talking about why she was treated like a monster you two weren't surprised at all about it."

"We've been teammates since we were twelve." Naruto speaks up. "We've all shared a lot about ourselves with each other, and our sensei."

Fumiko shakes her head no.

"I understand that, and I know that what you told me back there wasn't the truth, at least not the whole truth." She continues, her eyes focusing on Shino. "Don't you trust me; have I ever done anything to make you think that I'm not trustworthy?"

Shino shakes his head no, pushing his ever present sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

"This secret is not mine to share Fumiko-chan." Shino says matter of factly.

"It's about Hinata-san isn't it?" Fumiko asks, and Shino nods curtly.

"Your intuition is impeccable, however I cannot explain anything more than I already have. It is Hinata's choice, not mine."

The law about the gag order about the Kyuubi is expressly clear on that. The only one who can say anything to anyone about the Kyuubi to someone who doesn't already know about what happened to it is me. Even if I tell someone and give them permission to tell another person, I still have to be the one to let the cat out of the bag.

Fumiko looks toward me, her expression deeply curious, and Shino for his part moves behind his significant other, nodding his approval of her character, trying to assure me that he believes Fumiko won't react negatively to the news about what's been sealed inside me.

Opening my mouth to explain it's like I'm twelve years old again, telling Naruto and Shino about it, the same fear of rejection bubbling to the surface in spite of the years I spent with the knowledge of the demon sealed inside me.

"My birthday is December 21st…" I explain to her, and Fumiko blinks in surprise.

"The 21st of December? Why do I know that date…?" She mutters in a low voice.

"It was the day Konoha was attacked…" I remind her, and she nods, her memory filling in the gaps.

"Yes! That's the same day that the Kyuubi attacked the village, and Hiiashi Hyuga died killing it."

"Hiiashi-sama didn't kill the Kyuubi." I correct her. "Nothing could kill it, instead it was sealed into a new born baby, Hiiashi's only daughter."

Fumiko blinks in surprise, her eyes going wide as she absorbs this new information.

"Afterwards the people of the village began to treat me like dirt. My mother wasn't a part of the Hyuga clan so I grew up without her. I was raised by my grandmother, and if not for her and my status as the heir to the main branch then I probably would've had a much tougher childhood. As it was the people of the village only glared at me and tried to make me feel like I shouldn't have even been born."

"That's why people spurned you when you were younger?" Fumiko asks curiously and I nod solemnly. "Well…I can understand that…"

_…What…?_

Shino's eyebrows rise in surprise at her remark, and Naruto's eyes go wide as he too didn't expect Fumiko to say what she said.

"Is that a problem?" Shino asks coolly, his surprise evident in the frost that has filled his tone.

Fumiko shakes her head no, half turning to face Shino and look between him and I.

"No, it isn't a problem, but I can understand why people would be angry. The Kyuubi killed a lot of people, and when people lose someone precious to them they want to retaliate against it. Since they couldn't attack the demon, they would attack its jailor instead." She explains. "My brother died during the Kyuubi attack, and my parents forbade me from becoming a shinobi because of it."

"Hinata did not kill your brother." Shino says matter of factly, and Fumiko nods her understanding.

"I know…it just isn't that easy for me. I remember my brother when I was little, and my parents keep a shrine to him in our house and we visit the memorial stone at least once a year. I can't just accept her carrying the Kyuubi around like you two, neither of you lost anything because of it."

"Maybe not." Shino argues. "However, Hinata's _entire family_ was taken from her because of the attack. Her father died sealing the demon away, and her family forbade her from seeing her biological mother. The only record of her mother's name has since been destroyed, effectively preventing her from ever learning who her biological mother is."

"What kind of parent has a child and then never tries to contact it?" Fumiko retorts, insinuating that my biological mother isn't the most responsible person in the world.

"My grandmother was the one who raised me." I repeat myself. "She died four years ago when the Sound and Sand village alliance attacked during the Chunin Exams. If not for Naruto's family offering to shelter me, I doubt I'd be standing here today."

Fumiko looks at me with disbelief painted all over her face.

"Her own family tried to have her killed." Shino speaks up. "She came to our compound in the middle of the night, fleeing from a hired killer."

"Why would your own clan try to have you killed?" Fumiko asks.

"Because I was a hindrance to my Uncle's ascension to leadership of the clan. I was all that stood between him and all the power and prestige that comes with being the leader of the Hyuga."

"Though, it was never proven that Hizashi sent the assassin after her." Naruto comments dryly.

Fumiko shakes her head slowly.

"I…I never knew about any of this." She admits, and Shino is the one to speak.

"Because you never bothered to ask." He reprimands her. "Just because you grieve for your brother doesn't give you the right to take it out on Hinata. She's lost family to the Kyuubi, and she doesn't blame the people of the village for their ignorance in blaming her. I wonder who that makes the better person?"

Fumiko blinks in surprise, her eyes drifting down toward the ground as she thinks about everything she's just heard, and I can see it in her eyes, her letting go of some of the grief and sadness brought into her life by the demon, and she bows to me in apology.

"I'm sorry." She emphatically apologizes.

"It's all right." I tell her. "I know that people are still angry at the demon, even after all this time…"

Fumiko shakes her head no.

"Still, it was wrong of me to think that you were responsible in any way, shape or form for what the demon did, and I understand now that blaming you isn't the proper thing to do. I couldn't help my reaction at hearing the demon's name, and all the grief and sorrow it's caused my family."

"What's important is that you learn from your mistake." Shino comments, and I nod my agreement.

"That's right." I agree, and Fumiko closes her eyes, nodding quickly.

"I will."

I smile at the girl, and Naruto grins one of his happy go lucky grins.

"Shall we get going?"

**Scene Transition**

Fifteen minutes later Naruto and I walk through the gate to my home. Entering into the house proper Naruto locks the door. Slipping our shoes off at the door the two of us walk into the living room, Naruto taking a seat on the sofa as I lean over the back of the sofa, resting my head on my hands.

"Well, that went well didn't it?" Naruto asks, and I laugh lightly.

"Yeah, it did."

"Now you've got someone else who knows your secret and doesn't hate you for it."

"I know, but it could've gone smoother. For a few moments there I thought Fumiko was going to say she hated me…"

"Yeah, it was pretty touch and go for a few seconds, but she understood. Ultimately that's all that counts. You really should consider telling more people. I can't imagine most of the people we know reacting negatively to it."

I shrug my shoulders.

"It's hard to tell people. I mean it's the source of so much of the scorn and hatred that I've felt in my life. Now all the sudden the entire village loves me. It's mind boggling."

"You'll get used to it, eventually the people will get bored and then they'll move on to something else."

"I hope so."

Naruto stands up, stretching his arms and legs.

"I'm gonna go grab a shower, is it OK if I use the master bathroom?"

"Sure, go ahead."

**Scene Transition**

Four hours later I step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist and head, looking myself over in the bathroom mirror before I step out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom.

_I wonder if Naruto and I will make love again tonight?_

Stepping out into the master bedroom Naruto is lying on the bed wearing a sleeveless black shirt and orange sweatpants, his legs hanging off the foot of the bed at the knee, his hands behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling. Naruto's head pops up as I enter, and walking to the dresser I open the drawers and grab a night shirt from the drawer, unwrapping the towel and pulling it down over my body. Naruto watches the entire time, his eyes boggling for the few moments I'm effectively naked in front of him. Un-wrapping the towel around my head I slowly dry my hair as I walk to the bed, Naruto's eyes locked on me the entire time.

"You just wanted to see me in my underwear didn't you?" I ask coyly, and Naruto grins at the question.

"Is it bad if I was hoping so?" He asks as he scratches the back of his head.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed I can't help but wonder whether or not our relationship is going to become just about sex now that Naruto and I are no longer under Kushina's watchful eye.

"Naru-kun, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, now that we're living together, I don't want our relationship to be just about sex. I know you like it and I like it too, but there's more to being with someone then that…"

"Uh…where'd you get the idea that was what I wanted?"

"Well…before we were living together one of things we couldn't do was make love whenever we wanted. Now that we can I'm worried…"

"Well…being in bed with you is a nice perk, but I like being around you, with or without the sex." He says calmly, adding in a whisper. "Though I don't want to lose any of it."

"I'm really relieved to hear that Naru-kun."

"Has it been bothering you that long?"

"No, not really, but it really did have me worried. I didn't know how strongly you felt about our intimacy…"

"Sex is nice, but who I'm doing it with is important too. I'm not like some people who will sleep with anyone who spreads their legs for them."

"Talking about Jiraiya-sensei?" I ask with a grin, and Naruto chuckles, shaking his head slowly.

"Yeah, I've hardly spent any time with that Pervert and I can tell that he's a Super Pervert."

"He openly admits to being a pervert, and while we were away he took me to more than one brothel while Tsunade-sensei was busy gambling."

Naruto's eyes go wide in surprise.

"He took you into brothels? As in _whore-houses_?"

"Yep." I answer with a grin, and Naruto shakes his head.

"Mental note: never let my fiancée go off on training trips with Jiraiya ever again…"


	39. Plot Outline and Ending

(Well, it finally happened. I'm sick of hearing people whine and complain about power levels and how I'm pissing them all off, so I've decided I'm just not wasting anymore of my time writing this story when everything I hear about it is angry and pissed, so here is what I promised, this is the remainder of the plot outline I wrote months ago and finished. It is a SINGLE LONG paragraph that contains over 10,000 words. There are NO quotation marks or any real details. I'm sorry if you liked this story and were looking forward to it, but I can no longer find the motivation to finish it, and this at least wraps up the plot of _Naruto_ and has a somewhat happy ending. Enjoy the outline, and if you were looking forward to me fleshing this out, I'm sorry, but it simply isn't going to happen, so this is the best you're going to get.)

Plot Outline

Scene closes, reopening the next morning, her narrating that they ended up doing it again anyway. They now are dressed, along with other shinobi and the rest of the Konoha 11 and their sensei sans Neji, her thinking he's too busy to be here, awaiting the arrival of the five Kage. She asks herself if this could possibly be enough to be considered a proper welcome for the leaders of the shinobi world. A procession comes down the road, flanked by shinobi on all sides, with the 5 Kage and Killer bee among them. She locks her eyes on Bee, asking who he is, and how his chakra can be so inhuman. She thinks he might be the only other Jinchuriki, but she doesn't say anything out loud. The procession passes her by, Naruto next to her as she stands tall and proud, looking the part of a Sage. As the Kage and their subordinates walk past, they all look at her with scrutiny, and in the Raikage's eyes she sees disrespect, while Gaara has appreciation, the Mizukage and Tsuchikage guarded interest. She tries not to let her apprehension show, telling herself that she deserves to be standing here, a part of her not believing it in the least. The procession finishes, the shinobi hand picked by Kushina following along with the two of them and other members of the Konoha 11. They are led to the now expanded tower, a set of high end rooms attached to the structure. She chooses not to follow them inside, Naruto and Shino staying out as well. Naruto asks if she's going to continue to follow them, and she says no, she doesn't want her presence to cause any problems among them, silently adding to herself that she doesn't want to complicate her life unnecessarily. Shino says that they will probably want to see her, and she says that she'll burn that bridge when they come to it. Scene closes there, reopening with the three of them seated at Ichiraku. Hinata narrates that shinobi now patrol the streets in uniform, the entire village jumpy at the arrival of the 5 kage and the 4 other nation's shinobi being allowed access to the village. She narrates that it's been 3 hours since the Kage have arrived, and she's seen shinobi with various headbands walking around. She's also taken note of the ANBU activity, and how it's increased since the arrival. It's then that Kanna and Kiba and Akamaru approach the stand, Kiba calling out as they approach, the 5 of them exchanging greeting before the 2 sit while Akamaru lies down behind his master's stool. Kiba sighs tiredly, Kanna saying I heard that. Naruto asks what's up, and Kanna says they have been acting as tour guides for the Kage for the last hour and a half, showing them the site of reconstruction as well as the monument to the fallen and other sites around the village. Naruto says that sounds as fun as a barrel of monkeys, and Kanna says you don't know the half of it. Kiba says that some of the entourage are looking forward to meeting the so called reincarnation of the SOSP, Kiba looking at her and saying I don't envy you in the least. Kanna looks at her and asks if she can have a word with her in private, and Hinata says me, Kanna nodding her agreement. Hinata says sure, getting up and following her until they're out of earshot. Kanna keeps her voice low, saying she knows that she hardly knows her but she has to ask, just what is so wrong with her that the people of this village are only now acting like you're worth something, in spite of the high opinion the fourth has of you. Hinata asks your parents never told you to treat me like dirt, and Kanna says that she and her family moved here from Kumo when she was six, she and her family have no idea why people act the way they do toward you, but her parents noticed years ago that whenever your name comes up in conversation people tend to get angry, and she'd just like to know why the people of the village seem to hate you until recently. Hinata looks around, suddenly feeling like an insecure 12 year old all over again. She thinks that there is no law saying that she can't tell people, and Kanna doesn't seem like a bad person. She says that when she was born her father sealed the Kyuubi No Kitsune into her. Kanna says that's the reason they've been treating you the way they have. She says it is, and Kanna asks why do other people refuse to speak about it. Hinata says Minato decreed that no one other then me is supposed to speak about it, the hope that I will have a chance at acceptance with the people of my generation, but the older people all tell their children to hate me and ostracize me but they can't say why. Kanna says that must've been miserable for her growing up, and she says that other kids would avoid her, call her names and pull pranks on her, and it made her feel so alone. It wasn't until she met Naruto that she found someone other than her grandmother who didn't scowl at her all the time. Kanna says that even her own family hated her, and Hinata says the branch houses despise the main house because of the seal that's placed on them. Plus when she was small she was a timid little girl that didn't act like a member of the main house should've, and they hated being subservient to her and her aging grandmother. Kanna says wow, and Hinata says now she knows. Kanna says that she understands now, she won't ask anymore. Kanna says she won't say anything to Kiba or Sakura either, though she needs to start telling people about this, she can't keep it a secret forever. She says she knows that, but it isn't easy to tell one person, much less everyone she sees. Kanna says they should head back, Hinata agreeing with her. They both walk back to their stools, and Kiba comments that they were gone a while, Kanna telling him to close his mouth. She sees the food has been served, and Naruto leans in, asking what was that about. Hinata says they'll talk about it later, and the scene closes, reopening with the three of them approaching Kurenai's apartment. She narrates that it's been a while since they saw their first teacher together, and Naruto was the one to bring up the idea to pay her a visit. It isn't late, and while it is sort of rude to just drop in, if things seem intimate and Asuma is there, they'll just leave. Approaching the door, Hinata knocks on the door, and she can hear Kurenai's voice on the other side, yelling just a moment. The door opens, and a flustered looking Kurenai standing in the doorway, looking a mix of surprise and exhaustion. She says their names, and Hinata asks is this a bad time. Kurenai says that Norito has been crying and there's nothing she does seems to calm him down. Hinata asks if she can take a look at him. Kurenai says all right, and they are led into her apartment and into Norito's room. Seeing and hearing the crying child Hinata looks at him closely, seeing his yin and yang chakra is out of balance. She narrates that Nagato dropped that bit of wisdom on her, when the yin and yang are out of whack, it causes emotional turmoil. Kurenai asks can she see something, and Hinata asks if she may touch him. Kurenai looks alarmed, saying she can try, but Norito doesn't like it when other people touch him. Hinata says it'll be okay before she turns her head toward the baby, speaking gently and reassuringly, saying it'll be all right as she puts 2 fingers on his forehead, closing her eyes she goes to work, injecting yin chakra into his body, she brings the balance of yin and yang into balance, and Norito stops crying, and when she opens her eyes Kurenai has an expression of stunned disbelief on her face. Norito slips off to sleep happily after Hinata takes her fingers from his forehead, and Kurenai quickly pulls her into the living room, closing the door behind her. She immediately asks how did you do that, what did you do. Hinata says that his yin and yang was out of balance, all she did was bring it into balance. Kurenai looks at her with surprise in her face. She says if you could bottle that and sell it, you'd make a killing. Hinata says that she only did to try and help, she's just glad that she was able to help. Kurenai looks at Naruto, saying she'll be a great mother with that trick. Hinata blushes tremendously, and Naruto quickly asks how Kurenai's been doing. She says things have been hectic, from Pain's attack to assisting with rebuilding and taking care of the baby, if not for Ino and Shikamaru she probably wouldn't have been able to sleep the last few days. Hinata says if she ever needs someone to watch Norito for a while, she'll do it, Naruto and Shino both adding their names as well. Kurenai says that she might take them up on that offer, especially Hinata with those amazing eyes. Hinata says that she'd be happy to help, but she doesn't know when she'll have to act. Kurenai says she appreciates the thought and the intent behind her words, but Norito is her baby, and she needs to take care of him. She says that now that he's asleep, would they like something to drink or eat. Naruto says they just ate at Ichiraku's, Kurenai saying oh in understanding. She asks what they came to see her about, and Hinata says that they just felt like they should stop in and saying hi, she was their first teacher after all. Kurenai says she's happy that Hinata and the others remember her and bother to stop in and say hi, it means a lot. Kurenai asks about the disaster and what's going on, and the scene closes, reopening with her narrating that they've left Kurenai's apartment, now well into the night, and she's surprised that a messenger hasn't come for her, looking to bring her before the 5 Kage for her worth to be judged. She inwardly sighs and thinks that she is SO looking forward to that little meeting. Naruto asks what Kanna asked her about back at Ichiraku's and she remembers, thinking that she hasn't told them about it. She says Kanna asked her about why people treated her like dirt, and both Shino and Naruto look at her, the obvious question on both of their faces. Naruto is the one to voice the question. She says that she told her about the Kyuubi. Naruto says what'd she say, and Hinata says that she was understanding about it, and said that she would keep it to herself and encouraged me to tell more people, that it isn't healthy to keep it bottled up inside. Shino says so another shinobi knows her secret. She says yes, and Shino says that she should really consider telling others, the law only allows her to speak about it, and Hinata says she'd like to say something, but she feels like she'll be back to square 1 if she broadcasts it and alienates herself from everyone. Shino says if people choose to hate her for that then they aren't worth having as friends. She says she knows that, but it doesn't really seem like the time. Shino says she must make it the time before saying that he has to go, he'll see them later. They both wish him well and he leaves, and then there's a gust that blows through, and Temari lands on the street in front of them. Folding her fan closed, she greets them, Naruto returning the greeting. Hinata asks what she's doing here, and Temari says that Gaara wishes to talk to the both of them, but not as the Kazekage. She doesn't know what to say to that when Gaara and Kankuro both land near Temari on either side of her, and she looks up to see a blanket of sand flow into Gaara's gourd. Greetings are exchanged, and Hinata asks what Gaara wishes to speak to her about. He says that he never got to properly thank her for what she did those many years ago, if she hadn't stopped him he never would've realized the error in his ways, he wouldn't be who he is today. She says she only did what she felt was right, the same as she's always done, no need to thank her. Gaara says she is the first Jinchuriki he met and she made a big impact on his life. She asks what he really wishes to talk to her about, and he says the Kage are contemplating pitting her against the 8 tail, as a test of her abilities. She asks who thought of that crazy idea, and he says the Raikage thought of it, he wants to prove who is more powerful, his brother the Hachibi or the Kyuubi. Naruto says that's idiotic, what if they seriously injure or kill each other. Gaara says if that happens then the alliance no longer has to worry about Akatsuki getting their hands on the Bijuu, and whatever they need them for won't happen. Naruto says his father would never agree to that, and Gaara says that three out of five agree, they override his authority and this is going to happen, the official decision will probably be made tomorrow. She says she can't raise her hand against an ally, and Gaara says it's very likely that she'll lose then, as the Hachibi has no qualms about it. Scene closes there, reopening with her in the mansion's dojo in Sage Mode, Naruto lying on the floor wearing only his boxers and nothing else. There's jutsu formula inscribed all over his body, save for the small portion covered by his underwear. She holds a small gag in her right hand, asking if he's ready. He says he is, and she says that it's possible that this won't work, that it could seriously hurt him. Naruto smiles at her and says that he trusts her. She smiles at him and puts the gag in his mouth, saying bite down on this, and try not to stay conscious. He nods and Hinata puts her hands together, making a long sequence of seals to focus her chakra, all the chakra she can and survive before she places her hands on his stomach and channels the energy into Naruto's body, the formula written on his body glowing with light as Naruto bites down on the gag, screaming with gritted teeth at the incredible pain that floods through his system. She thinks please survive, and the scene closes, reopening the next morning with her approaching the Kage council chamber. She's alone, and narrates that Naruto managed to survive the treatment, though she isn't sure exactly what will happen to him as a result of the procedure, but if it works the way it's supposed to he'll be something…more. She thinks she doesn't have the time to think about that, if she's made to fight him then she'll find a way to win without using the Kyuubi. She narrates that she left Naruto in bed asleep and at peace. She made food for him and put it in the fridge, leaving a note for him at his bedside that the food is there and how to reheat it. She narrates that she is now inside the tower, on her way to see the Kage Council. She sees the two guards stationed outside the door to the chamber, and they recognize her and wave her inside, one of them opening the door for her and she steps inside, the door closing behind her. She now stands in the chamber with the five, Minato sitting in the middle of them, Killer bee standing near the Raikage. Minato says welcome Hinata Hyuga, and she says it is an honor to be in their presence. Minato says that she's been called here because a test has been proposed, and she thinks that this must be about her dueling against the Hachibi. She asks what test, and Minato says the five Kage wish to test the strength of the Jinchuriki, to asses their capabilities. They plan to do that by having a match between the two. She says that such a contest could leave one or both of them seriously injured or dead. Minato says there will be rules, and if neither have any objection they'll all sojourn to the match area. She says she has none, and the scene closes, reopening with her and Killer bee standing apart from one another in the exam stadium and he raps at her, saying it's nice to formally meet her. She says it would've been better to meet him under better circumstances. He says yeah, and she looks up to see the 5 kage seated in the VIP section, watching and waiting. Genma stands between them, saying that they should avoid using lethal force, but ultimate it is okay, but techniques that affect the stadium will not be tolerated. He says if neither have objections, start. He jumps back, and Bee grins smacking his hands together, saying bring it girlie. She puts her hands together, thinking that she doesn't have any choice; she'll have to hit him as a Sage. She draws the energy into her body, shifting into Sage mode. He says oh, what's this as she makes two shadow clones, the clones jumping away as she assumes a taijutsu stance. She says she'll end this quickly, leaping at him and hitting him with a Sage straight right to the jaw. He doesn't flinch, saying that if that's all she's got, she's not gonna last long. She jumps back just as he swings, and she skids backward, thinking to herself that he took that punch and didn't even flinch. He asks if that's all she's got, and she says no, not by a long shot. She holds her palm out to him, saying Bansho Tenin, and he seems to jump toward her, her right arm coiling back she says how about this, hitting him with a Tsunade punch, her attack hitting him square in the jaw, and he flies backward, slamming into the far wall. With a smile she thinks that should've taken his head off or smashed his skull, but he's still alive. The dust clears and bee stands up, dusting himself off he stops rapping, saying that's one helluva punch. He draws his swords, assuming his odd stance he comes after her, and she thinks there's no chance in hell she'll let him get that close. She uses Shinra Tensei, knocking him back and surprising him. He lands on his ass and gets to his feet, saying that was an impressive attack. She grins, saying if he likes that, he'll love this. She uses Chibaku Tensei, trapping him inside a sphere of rock from the ground around him, and she concentrates, hoping that it will hold and knowing deep down that it probably won't. She hears an animalistic roar, and the sphere shatters, bee in the middle with a six tailed veil around him. He says that he doesn't expect any less from another Jinchuriki. She thinks that he must somehow be able to control his Bijuu, normally at 6 tails she's a berserker. He roars, ready to run at her with a full head of steam and she asks herself how is she supposed to stop a six tail. He charges, ready to hit her with a lariat and she ducks, barely avoiding the blow she sticks her foot out to trip him, but he steps over her foot, running for a few feet before he stops and spins, a grin visible on his face. He asks if this is all she has, all there is to the vaunted Kyuubi Jinchuriki. She thinks she really only has one option, hit him with THAT. Scene closes, her remembering her last session with Nagato inside her mind as she finishes explaining the jutsu, Nagato saying that's a rather powerful technique, one that's impossible without the Rinnegan. He asks if she's able to move while using it, and she says no. He looks at her and says that it seems to take a lot chakra. She says it is chakra intensive, if she had to use it in a fight against multiple people for anymore then 5 minutes she'd probably pass out, even in Sage mode. He nods, saying but the trade off seems worth it, to wield that kind of power for any length of time is incredible. She says maybe, though her odds of actually using it in combat are rather slim, she has to be motionless to use it and must be motionless to maintain it. If she were ever forced to move the jutsu will shatter, and any ongoing effect it had will immediately vanish. He says still though, the fact that she created it is proof that his decision to give her the Rinnegan was correct, no Sharingan, no matter how powerful will be able to mimic it. She says it had occurred to her that she could use it against Madara, though with that teleportation jutsu of his she doesn't know how well it'll fair, but at least she can try. He says a jutsu like that will be necessary to stop Madara. She says it's all thanks to him; his ability to manipulate the rain is what inspired her to create the jutsu in the first place. Scene closes reopening with he thinking that she's never tried it before, but she doesn't really have a choice. She puts her hands together, taking a deep breath she reaches out with her mind, molding all six natures of chakra around her body, a rainbow shimmer surrounding her. Bee asks what is this, and she lowers her arms to her sides, saying come at me. He grins and says you got it. He runs at her, and at the last second a chunk of earth shoots up from the ground, hitting him in the side of the head and knocking him off course. She doesn't move as Bee tumbles off at an angle, thinking to herself that she can't move as the arch of dirt lowers into the ground. He says that was pretty impressive, and a bolt of lightning leaps from her and hits him, thunder roaring through the arena as he is knocked back, into a wall. She remains motionless, her thoughts betraying that she hopes that's enough, and bee gets up, now with 8 tails. He says he doesn't know what she's doing, and around her a ball of lightning forms as a ring of water condenses and spins at waist level. A chunk of the ground rises and hovers as a fire ignites in mid air and floats there. The wind swirls, fluttering her hair as she remains motionless and speechless. He says not gonna talk huh, dropping into another charge when Minato yells that's enough. Bee is surprised, and so is she, but she doesn't move, CAN'T flinch. Minato says the match is over. The elements around her disappear, and she breathes a sigh of relief. Genma says both of them are free to leave. It's then that Minato and the Raikage appear before her, Rai looking less then pleased at Minato. Minato says she can manipulate the five types of natural chakra at will, and she says that last thing was an untested technique, and it's only when she's in that state can she do what she did. She turns to Rai and says your brother is quite powerful, were he allowed to enter Bijuu form he'd become unstoppable. Rai seems to smile at that, and that's when Bee walks up, now normal rapping hey little lady whaddya know, you're quite the dynamo. Rai shakes his head, and Hinata thinks that all Jinchuriki must be quirky. Scene closes, reopening with her leaving the arena to see Shino waiting for her. She greets him, and he returns the greeting. She asks what he's doing here, and he says he tracked the kikai on her to the arena, and when he got here he was barred from entering. She says she had a test that she had to pass, and Shino asks what does a bolt of lightning and a crash of thunder have to do with her test. She blushes and says you heard that huh. He looks at her, the expression enough to tell her that he still wants to know the answer to his question. She says that she fought the Hachibi in a match to test her strength, and she had to use a new technique, that's what caused the lightning bolt. He says something to do with the Rinnegan, and she says sort of. She says it's something she hopes will be enough to stop Madara, and Shino says he'd like to see that jutsu himself. Hinata says she'd rather not use it unless she has to, and Shino says that he'll have to make sure he's with her when she finally stares down Madara. She says she hopes that if she has to use that jutsu, she hopes he's far, far away. He raises his eyebrows in questioning but doesn't say anything. She says she's going to head home, and he asks where Naruto is. She says the last she knew he was still at her home asleep, and Shino says that his kikai hasn't moved for the past while, and he says it's strange that he didn't accompany her to the arena. She says that last night he volunteered to be a test subject for an experiment, and as a result he had to rest this morning. Shino asks an experiment, and Hinata says she created something that could change the shinobi world forever if it works. Shino asks that she doesn't know whether or not it worked, and Hinata says as far as she can tell it did, but she won't know until Naruto wakes up, assuming he does wake up. Shino says he's sure he will, and Hinata thanks him for his support. Changing the subject Shino says this new jutsu of hers must be quite powerful, for her to create a noise like that. She says that she didn't know how powerful the jutsu would be when Naruto himself runs up, saying her name and that he was worried, what the hell was that crash of thunder he heard a minute ago. She blushes and asks that he heard that, and he says yeah, the whole village heard it, scarred the hell out of a lot of people, some thought something was going on with the Raikage. She says everything is fine, and he asks how the match went. She says neither of them got seriously hurt, and the Kage are satisfied and know the limits of her abilities. Naruto says well, at least the stadium is still standing, that's a plus. She asks if he thought the stadium was going to be brought down, and Naruto says she has the same power as Nagato and even more chakra, she could probably level the whole village if she wanted. She shakes her head and says that doing that shortened Nagato's overall life span, she isn't going to do it, and she doesn't know if she could bring herself to kill on that massive scale. Shino says that he and Fumiko are getting together tomorrow night for a relaxed meal at his home, nothing major, just an opportunity to relax, and he would like to extend an invite to both of them. Naruto says they don't want to intrude, and Shino says nonsense, waving his hand dismissively. He looks to her, checking to see if she agrees or disagrees, and she nods her assent, and Naruto says as long as they aren't imposing, they'd be happy to come to dinner with him. Scene closes, reopening the next day in the afternoon with her lying on the floor shirtless wearing a purple bra the same color as her jacket. Naruto kneels on her right, a scroll unfurled next to him. She narrates that his skin and eyes are vibrant and he practically glows now, thinking that at least her experiment on him worked like it was supposed to, a good omen for once. Naruto asks are you sure you want to go through with this, and she says yes. He asks are you absolutely sure this will work the way you think, and she says she just thinks he wants to keep looking at her in her bra. He shakes his head and says that isn't it, this is the seal that holds the demon in her, and he doesn't want to mess with it unless he knows exactly what he's doing and what will happen as a result. She says these modifications to the seal will alter it and perfect it, restricting the flow of the demon's chakra and allowing her to theoretically draw on six tails of chakra from it without the effect of burning her skin off and allowing her complete control. He asks if this is really necessary, she doesn't use the Kyuubi's chakra anymore, and she says she doesn't use it out of fear that she'll draw too much, but with this modification to the seal she'll be able to feel the chakra and the seal will stop anything beyond six tails worth of chakra. Naruto says the Kyuubi probably won't like this, and she says that the demon will live with it, being imprisoned in her is better than dying, it's told her that itself. Naruto says all right, his apprehension showing in his voice. He looks to the scroll, making hand signs before he separates his hands, the fingers on his right hand bent like he's holding a softball his fingertips glowing a very dark blue, and she concentrates, the sealing formula appearing on her stomach as Naruto puts his hand on it. He asks if she's ready, and she says yes. Naruto looks at the scroll, double checking what he's supposed to do before he does it. He rotates his hand, and she grimaces in pain, narrating that it feels like her insides are being twisted around, fighting the urge to scream in pain. Naruto says just hold on Hinata, it'll be over soon. She nods acceptance, and she feels his fingers shift and slide across her stomach, feeling the modification to the seal happening as Naruto's fingers move against her stomach, any tickling sensation lost to the pain. After what feels like an eternity, the pain subsides and dulls, and she opens her eyes to see Naruto kneeling over her, concern painted on his face as he asks if she feels all right. She says yes, she feels fine, sitting up Naruto says here, handing her the shirt she normally wears under the jacket and she takes it, pulling on the shirt she thanks him, and he says what inspired her to do something like this, and she says that she was inspired by Killer Bee and his abilities to control his Bijuu. He says that it looks like they've both come through unscathed. She says yes, but she doesn't want him to push himself and think that he's suddenly got unlimited stamina. He says that he's never felt so strong, and Hinata says please don't push yourself; she doesn't want him to end up hurting himself because he thinks he's invincible. He says that he knows he isn't invincible, but he just feels good, and she says she wants to grab a shower before dinner. Naruto says okay, scene closing and reopening with Hinata turning off the shower before she steps out of the bathroom, grabbing a towel from atop the sink she starts to dry her hair and body for a minute before she exits the bathroom, emerging into her bedroom and seeing Naruto sitting on the bed without a shirt, and she walks out toweling her hair as she emerges, and Naruto looks at her, giving her an approving look, smiling at her and she blushes, asking what's the matter as she looks herself up and down, trying to see what he's looking at and he says nothing, he's just admiring her. She blushes deeper and says that she knows he likes it when she walks around like this, and he grins, saying can he help it he likes seeing a naked girl. She smiles and says so long as he isn't looking at other girls, she's fine with doing this every once and a while. He stands and says she really should get dressed, or else he might wanna do that. She agrees, saying if they do it she'll need another shower, and then they'll be late for their meal with the Aburame's. Naruto sighs in resignation, saying yeah, you're right. She goes to the closet, getting dressed as Naruto goes into the bathroom. She dresses while Naruto is in the bathroom, and she dresses in her normal clothes, stopping at the Sage haori, she asks herself if Shino would want her to wear that, and Naruto emerges then, looking refreshed he asks what's up. She says that she doesn't know whether or not to wear her Sage haori, and Naruto asks why he wouldn't want her to wear it. She says it's supposed to be a relaxed dinner, and she doesn't want to make people feel weird and it doesn't really seem appropriate for her to wear it to a dinner that isn't meant to be political or anything like that. Naruto says it'll be okay, just wear it, Shino will be annoyed if she doesn't. She says she guesses so, scene closing, reopening with the two of them approaching the Aburame home. She glances to the trees, struck by a vivid memory of the last time she was here, the assassin jumping out of the trees and then being covered in kikai, going down with a crawling squirming and chittering blanket of kikai. Naruto says her name, and she blinks the memory away, asking what's up. He says she was spacing out, and she says she was just thinking about the last time she was here, when she fled the Hyuga home and came here with an assassin in tow and some of their kikai covering the assassin and stopping him cold. He says yeah, back when her own family wanted her dead, and she says that all of that is in the past now, what matters now is that she's only a Hyuga in name only, and Naruto says yeah, you're right. They arrive at the door, Hinata narrating she chose to wear the haori and just when Naruto is about to knock when the door opens and Shiroi stands there, a smile on her face, saying that they're right on time. Naruto opens his mouth, saying how before he stops himself, and she thinks that he was going to ask how they knew that they were coming, even though he knows that Shino put a scent producing bug on them a long time ago. Shiroi asks if there's something wrong, and Naruto says nah, he's just amazed at their timing. Shiroi cocks her head to the side, saying timing as though she doesn't understand, and Naruto says it's nothing, don't worry about it. Shiroi says then please come in, standing aside to allow them to come in. They both enter, and they take off their shoes before they enter the home, and Shiroi says this way please, motioning toward the dining room, and both she and Naruto follow Shiroi's direction into a homely dining room, and Hinata thinks to herself that the Aburame home has recovered nicely since the disaster, and she's glad that there aren't insect farms everywhere. She sees Shibi and Shino in the dining room, and Shino greets them, saying they both look good, and Naruto asks what's on the menu. Shino says the meal will be traditional cuisine and again Hinata asks herself if they should be here without contributing something to the meal. Shino bids them take a seat, and they sit next to one another. Naruto sits straight and Shino says to please relax, this is only supposed to be a relaxed dinner, not some sort of meeting. Naruto apologizes, saying he just isn't used to this kind of thing. Shino asks what is he used to, and he says making the food himself and eating with only a single other person. Shino says to please relax; otherwise they won't be able to have an enjoyable meal together. Naruto says he'll try, and Fumiko enters then with a plate of food and the food is served, Hinata thinking that the food looks really good. Scene closes, reopening as the five of them sit around the table, talking about the disaster and how things have finally begun to improve and efforts have finally started to improve, an one of the big reasons for that is the people have held on to hope, and she's been a major force in that, giving the people something to believe in, and she's been out there, working alongside people, inspiring them. She says that she never really asked to be a symbol for anyone; they're the ones who chose her. Shibi says regardless of the reason, people see her as a sign of hope, how can she deny them that. Hinata says that she only wanted to get stronger to protect the people she cares about, not to be a symbol for people to worship. Shino says that the two of them look rather youthful, and something is amiss in their chakra. Fumiko agrees, wondering aloud if they did it before they came here, and if doing that really makes you feel that good. Hinata's mouth hits the table and she says that isn't what happened. Naruto says Hinata created a jutsu that she's testing on him, and she's modified the seal that contains the Kyuubi. Shino says he will be a subject if she wants, and Hinata says that she doesn't know how the jutsu would affect the kikai, it could kill them or do something horrible, and she couldn't live with herself if she destroyed his kikai or made it impossible for him to use them anymore. Shino says he understands and appreciates her concern, and Shiroi says she can use her new status to preach to people, teach them about her ideals and bring peace, changing the subject. Hinata says maybe, but she isn't going to force people like Madara, she's going to help people, not control them. Shibi says that sometimes people need to do things they don't want to do, because in the long run it will be good for them and others. Hinata asks herself that there must be another way, a way to change people's minds without resorting to killing people or manipulating their minds. Naruto says that people will see when Madara goes down, with the alliance now it will be even easier to bring everyone together and show them how pointless infighting amongst ourselves. Hinata says she doesn't know about that, once Akatsuki is gone she's sure that people will go back to hating one another without a common enemy to direct their hatred toward. Naruto says he doesn't believe that, there has to be a way to create peace without force, to make people understand one another. She thinks that she swore that she would find an answer before Nagato gave her his eyes, she can't back out now. It's then there's a knock at the door, and Shibi says he will go see who it is, asking to be excused before he gets up and exits the room. Shiroi takes the opportunity to ask if the two of them have set a date for the wedding yet, and Naruto barely avoids spitting up his drink. Hinata asks herself how they knew, and she reminds herself that Shino figured out she was the Jinchuriki on his own, he would take note of the band on her finger. Naruto asks how did you know, and Shiroi says their son has always been rather insightful, just like his father, while Shino fidgets uncomfortably at the comment, saying mother before Shibi returns with the Chunin with the scar on his face, and Naruto says his name in remembrance, asking what he's doing here before Shibi says the Hokage wishes to see Hinata. The scarred Chunin nods his agreement, and the three of them stand, the Chunin saying that Naruto and Shino weren't asked for, only Hinata Hyuga. Naruto looks at her and then the Chunin, saying he's going, he's a higher rank then the Chunin anyway. Shino says he shall accompany his friend as far as he can, and the chunin sighs, saying whatever, why couldn't the Hokage have sent ANBU instead he doesn't know. Scene closes, reopening with her narrating that they now approach the kage/council chamber, two shinobi standing guard at the door, the scarred Chunin saying he brought Hinata as requested. The one guard says she may enter; the others are all to remain outside, by order of the Hokage. Naruto opens his mouth to argue, but she puts a hand on his arm, and he looks at her, the look she gives him telling him it isn't worth it, and Naruto reluctantly nods. He looks at the guards and says the first sound of trouble in there; they'll have to physically stop him. She looks to Shino, who nods approvingly, and she steps forward, the guards opening the door enough for her to step through and she does, the door promptly closing behind her. She notices Danzo and two ANBU flanking him standing before the 5, and she asks herself what he's doing there, none of the other village council is here, and she notices his chakra, and how it seems to travel toward the 5, and she thinks that something must be amiss, the chakra wave looking like a genjutsu, but not at the same time. She asks what's going on here, and Danzo turns, saying she's too late, he's already won. She asks what he's talking about. He says go ahead everyone, please tell her. As one, and in a trance-like voice they say that they have unanimously selected Danzo to be the new supreme leader of the Alliance. She thinks what, that can't be as she sees the chakra wave come toward her, the chakra trying to infiltrate her body, and she feels a lucid feeling start to creep up on her, and she hears something dark, furious and primal in her mind roar no, and she shakes her head no, screaming no in denial and feeling anger and terror replace the lucid feeling. She thinks he was trying to manipulate her, but she isn't going to let that happen. She lashes out with a Shinra Tensei, hitting Danzo and his ANBU and sending them flying out at a diagonal angle. She thinks damn, she didn't crush them, and the Kage remain motionless, still under the effect of his technique, and Hinata walks forward, yelling out all of them wake up, they were being controlled. The door bursting in as the kage blink, slowly coming out of the daze Danzo put them under. They all ask what's going with Naruto in his now pulsating flash mode. Hinata does her best to explain what she saw, and Mizu says that the last thing she remembers is Danzo entering the room claiming he had something to discuss about Akatsuki. Hinata says that was likely a ploy to get them together, so he could take control of them and effectively conquer the world. Minato says he never knew, and Rai says that he was careless to allow someone with those goals to become so close to him. Minato says that none of them suspected that Danzo was plotting to overthrow them and take over the alliance. Hinata thinks thankfully they're all still all right, and whatever Danzo did had no permanent damage. Gaara says that he doesn't see the point in bickering amongst themselves, now that they have yet another enemy to deal with. Mizu agrees, saying that they need to strategize what they plan to do, and how they'll deal with Danzo's ability. She says that his chakra was strange, and she believes the Kyuubi's presence is what saved her from its effects. Rai says that's dandy, not all of them are Jinchuriki. Hinata apologizes, and Minato says you have nothing to apologize for; they should all be thanking her. An argument ensures with Rai calling for the election of another supreme leader and for the five of them to be moved to another hidden village. Hinata thinks he's ambitious, and she can tell he wants the reins of leadership. Finally she says that none of them were at fault over what happened. Minato shakes his head, saying there's something more important to deal with right now, looking at the guards at the door he says to bring her in. Hinata thinks who is he talking about and a minute later Konan is brought in wearing a plain black cloak with no designs on it. She says her name, and Minato says that they caught her trying to sneak into the village, she knew that you had the Rinnegan and described in detail how she obtained it. Hinata says that this woman was with Nagato, and has sworn her loyalty to me. Minato looks at her and asks if this is true, and she says it is. Minato asks her why, and she says Nagato was like family to her, Hinata now carries his hopes and dreams. Minato says that's very poetic, but she was once their enemy, how can they trust her so easily. Rai nods agreement, the other Kage all showing signs of agreement as well. Konan says she knows where Madara is hiding, and Minato gets a very serious look, saying what before she says that she knows where he is, and she'll show them. Mizu says this smells like a trap, and Rai asks how do they know this isn't a scam to lure them all into a trap. Konan swears that it isn't, that if they go they'll be able to locate Madara and put a stop to his ambitions once and for all. Hinata says I'll go, and Minato shakes his head, saying he can't risk one of their biggest assets on what could be a trap. Hinata says if anyone is in a position to defeat Madara, it's her, and she trusts Konan explicitly. Minato says he can't send her on a mission alone with a woman he hardly knows. Naruto steps up, saying I'll go, Shino right next to him, offering his service for the mission as well. Minato looks at Rai, who says there is no way he's sending Killer Bee as well. If it turns out to be a trap Bee will be the only thing between Madara and his goal of gaining the ten tail. Hinata looks at him and says please, and Minato sighs, shaking his head he says even if I say no you'll still go, and if you really wanted to you could beat anyone who physically tries to stop you. He says go, he expects good news when she returns. She says yes, scene closing and reopening with the 4 of them on the move, packs on their backs as they jump from tree to tree, Konan saying that Akatsuki's main base is hidden deep within the land of rain, Madara is there, preparing to attempt to summon the ten tail's body down from the moon. She asks how he plans to do that, and Konan says that he has the chakra of 7 of the 9 Bijuu, and he's going to use that chakra to summon the remains of the ten tail. Hinata asks what good will it do, without the Hachibi and Kyuubi he doesn't have enough chakra to make up the ten tail. Konan says that he's found an equal valance to the two Bijuu, and she asks what could be equal to the strongest two Bijuu. Konan says massive human sacrifice, he intends to sacrifice every person in the land of rain including all the innocent civilians and the cloud prisoners taken since the war began. Naruto says that's unthinkable, and Konan says she doesn't know how long until he'll be ready to complete the jutsu, they have to hurry and stop him before he does, or he'll be unstoppable. She curses to herself, thinking that she always thought that as long as she was free he wouldn't be able to fulfill his plans, but now it looks like things are going to happen anyway, how many innocent people to make up her bijou's place. She thinks no, she can't afford to think like that, she has to focus on stopping him here and now, or else there may be no hope left for the world. Scene closes, reopening with her narrating that they don't stop overnight, they run straight through, popping stimulants to fight off the fatigue. Konan says they're getting close, and Naruto asks where are all the border guards and the sentries. Konan says since the war most of the shinobi are tied up fighting the cloud shinobi, and those that aren't are busy dealing with controlling the people. With Nagato gone the people have been wary about their leadership, and she's heard of at least 2 riots that have broken out since Nagato disappeared. Hinata thinks wow, and ahead they see a rather large tree appear from the fog, and Konan says that Madara is there. Around the tree the forest is thick and Konan says they can't just walk up, Madara has manipulated the forest to form a barrier around the tree, the second they breach the barrier Madara will know. It's then that a fire ball streaks out from behind a tree, and Hinata stops dead in her tracks, the attack roasting the branch she would've jumped to. All eyes turn to see Sasuke stride out from behind the tree, wearing a cloak with his Sharingan activated. Hinata thinks at least he isn't going after Konoha, and he says long time no see. Naruto asks why he's siding with Madara, does he believe in the Mooneye Plan that much? Sasuke laughs, saying he doesn't care about any of that, his sole purpose for living is to punish Konoha for what it did to his clan. Naruto says he can't take that anger out on Hinata. He smirks and says no, not Hinata. He's going to get revenge on the Senju and anyone appointed by them. Naruto says his family has nothing to do with the Senju, none of their families do. Sasuke says that's where you're wrong. He says your father was chosen by the Senju to carry on their beliefs and ideals, they are for all intents and purposes Senju, and Sasuke is going to wipe them all off the face of the planet. Naruto narrows his eyes, shifting into flash mode as his weights pop off, hitting the ground with audible thuds. Sasuke says his chakra is different then before, and Naruto says he's evolved. Sasuke glances to her and says he's sure it has something to do with her Rinnegan, he'll enjoy torturing it out of her in the Tsukuyomi. Naruto strikes then, hitting Sasuke with a knock out punch. The Uchiha goes flying, and Hinata thinks it didn't connect, at the last second something stopped Naruto's punch. Sasuke flips, knocking over a tree before he comes to a stop and says that's rather impressive, he felt some of that even through Susan'o. Hinata asks herself is that what that thing surrounding him is, narrating about the giant skeletal torso that has appeared around Sasuke. Naruto thinks that's new, and Sasuke grins, saying Naruto can't get through, it's an absolute defense greater then even Gaara's. Naruto says we'll see about that, and the two of them clash, Naruto using wind jutsu as Sasuke retaliates with Amaterasu. Naruto forms a Rasengan, saying try this and hitting Sasuke with it only for it to explode harmlessly against Susan'o. Sasuke says that pathetic jutsu like that won't break Susan'o, nothing can penetrate his defense. Naruto says we'll see, doing the shadow clone jutsu and creating 20 copies of himself, Sasuke grimacing and saying that his trick blocks the Sharingan's predictive power and insight. The clones all seem to jump at once, Sasuke gripping two and crushing them like grapes with Susan'o as more punch and kick, trying to damage him as Sasuke swats and crushes them, growling where are you coward as he crushes all but the last one which stands back from the others. Sasuke says ah, you must be the real one, Susan'o's arm raising to crush him like a fly, and Hinata thinks no, her muscles tensing to jump in when the ground beneath Sasuke splits, and he looks down to see a swirling golden Rasengan come to meet him. The Rasengan seems to explode inside Susan'o, blowing the Uchiha back and into a tree, the real Naruto standing there, asking himself did it work. Sasuke gets up, an abrasion on his face accompanying the scar across his nose. Naruto says he should just stay down, and Sasuke says that he didn't break Susan'o, nothing can. Naruto scoffs, saying he hates to do this to a former comrade, but he doesn't have any choice. Narutos hands are a golden blur beneath the aura, and he disappears, reappearing in front of Sasuke and reaching out, touching Susan'o, and Hinata can see chakra begin to flow from Sasuke into Naruto at an astonishing rate. Sasuke goes to smash Naruto with Susan'o, and the arm hits Naruto, driving him into the ground, and she's about to call out when she sees chakra is still flowing out of the Susan'o, and Sasuke grimaces, pulling the arm up to see a golden blur latched onto it, and Sasuke yells for him to get off, and Naruto says not a chance. Sasuke then shuts off Susan'o, dropping Naruto who deftly lands on his feet. Sasuke says what did you do, and Naruto says it's a chakra absorption jutsu that takes his opponent's chakra and stores it in his aura. Sasuke says he's never used anything like that before, and Naruto says he never had to. Sasuke says his hatred won't be extinguished, glaring at Naruto and she realizes what he's doing a half second too late. She opens her mouth to say something when they both drop to their knees, panting heavily in exhaustion. Naruto says that was intense, struggling to get back to his feet, but he stands, Hinata thinking he weathered the Tsukuyomi, somehow. Sasuke says his hatred won't die, forcing himself to his feet he says as long as he draws breath he won't stop. He crackles with lightning as Naruto shifts back into flash mode, saying it's time to put up or shut up. Lightning crackles on Sasuke's hand as a ball of spinning chakra forms in his hands, his expression set in concentration. Sasuke says its time they ended this, and Naruto says he couldn't agree more. Sasuke goes to charge, and Naruto reels back, throwing the Rasen-shuriken as Sasuke runs. They're too close for him to avoid, so he charges in, thrusting his hand forward there's a blinding explosion, and when it clears Sasuke stands just outside of arm's reach of Naruto, a happy smile as he says mom, dad, we'll finally be together again before he falls face down into the dirt, his eyes closed and his chest not moving. Its then that Naruto collapses, dropping out of flash mode and landing with his limbs splayed. Both Hinata and Shino are at his side in a heartbeat, and she's glad to see his eyes open, still very much conscious. He says that Sasuke hit him with that genjutsu, made it seem like he was being tortured for days. Shino says his chakra is very low and he's at borderline shock. He says someone will have to tend him, and Hinata looks at Shino who merely nods, saying for her to go ahead, he'll tend to Naruto while she goes after Madara. She nods her thanks, tells Naruto to be safe and that she loves him, Naruto returns the sentiment before she and Konan take off, heading for the large tree in the distance. Konan says Madara is there, and the scene closes, reopening with Madara standing before the statue with the Bijuu sealed inside, Hinata narrating that she and Konan hide behind rather large roots that go up to the gargantuan tree. Madara has his back to them., and she narrates that she's already in Sage mode, the plan to hit Madara hard and fast so he won't see it coming. She nods to Konan, and both of them pop out, Konan throwing paper shuriken while she unleashes a Shinra Tensei. Both strike an invisible barrier, and Hinata curses as Madara tsks, saying it isn't nice to sneak up on people when they're waiting for you. Hinata asks are you trying to convince me to give up the fox, and Madara says no. He says for them to have gotten here means Sasuke must be dead, Madara shaking his head, saying such a waste. Hinata glares at him, saying what does he want. Madara says the so called reincarnation of the SOSP will witness his final victory, the moment where he gains the power of the ten tail and finally does what not even the SOSP could do. Hinata says she won't let him, and he says it's already too late, he's filled the statue with all the necessary chakra, all he has to do is combine it into it's original form, undo what the Sage did and become the most powerful being in existence. Hinata says you're insane, and he says we'll see, turning around he says watch, the barrier separating them cannot be penetrated unless it's done from five different points simultaneously. He says without the Byakugan she'll be hard pressed to find them all on her own, and she asks him to please stop, if he stops now they can still work something out, find true peace. Madara says he is on the verge of achieving his goal that he has waited for longer than she's been alive, there's no way he's stopping now. He puts his hands together in a hand sign, and she sees the statue begin to glow as the nine sources of chakra inside begin to mix, forming s larger and larger mass, and she asks herself just how big is this thing going to get before the mass becomes one, and the statue cracks, cracking more and more it shatters, and a chakra in the form of a creature with ten tails appears, roaring inside the barrier. Hinata thinks maybe it will kill Madara for a half second before he appears in front of it's head and grasps it, the monster suddenly freezing in place as Madara begins to absorb it. She thinks there's no way that a human body can hold that much chakra, it isn't possible. She watches in amazement as Madara absorbs the demon into his body, his chakra swelling immensely. He flings his head back and laughs, he says the power, the chakra, it's incredible. He turns and looks at her, and he removes his mask in time for her to see the wrinkles and lines disappear from his face as his body reverts to a young man's, and he takes off his gloves, looking down at his hands he grins and says this is incredible. She thinks it's impossible, he can't turn back the aging process. Madara says now, all he has to do is deal with the two obstacles here, and his goal will be in his grasp. Hinata looks at Konan and tells her to leave, she has to survive. Konan nods, saying win before she takes off, and Madara says it really is a shame about her and Nagato, with his hatred he had such potential, but instead he's squandered it, giving up his precious eyes to a teenage girl. Hinata says that she is the one who will bring about peace, and Madara asks did you decide that. She asks what is he talking about, and he says her belief that she is the messiah, did you decide that or did someone else decide it for you. She opens her mouth to retort, but stops and asks herself, did she ever really choose that. He says it was thrust upon you wasn't it, without a word or thought given to how you might feel about. She says that everything happens for a reason, and it's her destiny to stop him and be the true messiah. Madara grins and says that he feels that it's his destiny to kill her and bring about lasting peace. She says fate will prove which is right, and Madara says the strongest shall prevail. She jumps at him and slugs him with a Tsunade blow, the man barely moving she thinks that's incredible. Madara asks that she's a student of Tsunade. She jumps back and Madara asks is that all you're capable of. She uses a Shinra Tensei, hitting him as hard as possible, and he grunts, getting knocked back and plowing through a root in the tree. She watches the dust, wondering if the attack did anything as he stands up and brushes himself off, saying he felt that nudge. She curses, putting her hands together she uses the summoning, bringing out Ken. She thinks she trained a lot with him not only during her time on the mountain but also when Jiraiya trained her to try and toughen up her taijutsu skills. Ken says it's rare for you to summon me Hinata, and she says she needs his help. He says anything, and Madara says do you honestly think that a summon will help you against the ten tail Jinchuriki. She says she won't know until she tries, her hands coming together, she uses water bullets, and Madara replicates the jutsu, cancelling each other out. It's then that Ken jumps, spewing up oil all over Madara Hinata thinks now for a match. She uses a fire jutsu, igniting the oil and sending flame rushing to Madara, who jumps to avoid it. Ken uses his tongue, wrapping Madara in it as she makes hand signs. He says go ahead. She uses her weather jutsu, a Ken flicking Madara into the air as a bolt of lightning hits him, frying him and dropping him to the ground. Ken lands with her still on top of him, and Madara stands up, brushing himself off he says that's a rather unique trick. The ground then shoots up, a pillar of earth hitting Madara right in the jaw. He stumbles, saying interesting as blades of wind lash out at him, cutting through his clothes a fire sparks out of thin air, spinning around her and launching toward Madara. He hits it aside, saying that's quite enough of that. A water cannon blasts toward him, and he sidesteps, saying she's manipulating the weather in a localized area. He says that he's had enough of that, his body surrounding in a gray chakra veil that begins to get bigger and bigger as more tails appear from it. She looks at Ken, and the toad understands, dispelling as she jumps from atop its head, landing as Madara lets out an animalistic roar. She closes her eyes, thinking she only has one choice. Scene closes, reopening with her standing before the bars, the fox growling on the other side. She says it knows why she's here, and the demon says she seeks its help. She says she wants to transform into Bijuu form, and it says you know that will mean it has complete freedom. She says that Madara can control it, if it doesn't help her then Madara will turn it into his slave. It huffs, saying it can't believe that it's agreeing to this. She says if you don't help we'll both die, and the demon growls I know. It says this once it will help her, but if that truly is the 10 tail, even it won't be powerful enough to stop it. She says they have to, there's no other choice. Scene closes, reopening with her looking through the eyes of a shadow clone as the Kyuubi surges forth from the trees, the ten tail waiting as the two clash, clawing and biting at one another, flesh tearing and ripping as they claw and bite, tails hitting one another as they rip at each other. The Kyuubi kicks it off, getting to its feet it opens its mouth and releases a beam of chakra, annihilating an ally above it as the ten tail jumps. The beam disappears and the Kyuubi raises its head, looking at the now floating ten tail it releases another blast of chakra, hitting the ten tail and exploding. The 10 tail comes through the cloud, tackling it to the ground and biting at it, the Kyuubi returning the attack. Scene closes, reopening with her opening her eyes and asking what happened, the demon whispering that they fought to a standstill, until neither host could maintain their Bijuu form. It says whatever that is isn't the ten, and if it could get truly free it wouldn't have a problem squashing it. She mumbles not gonna happen as she gets to her feet. Nagato whispers that they have to remove the seal holding the Bijuu in place, and she agrees. Seeing Madara just standing up as well she quickly realizes that going into Bijuu form and fighting the Kyuubi took a lot out of him, and he's just as worn out as she is. He says who'd have thought that a teenager would be the one to stand in his way. She says she's the messiah, its her destiny to stand against people like you, and to make peace a reality. He says her peace can't happen, and she says we'll see about that. They both tense to attack, when Naruto yells out Rasen-shuriken. They both look to see his attack fly, hitting Madara and ravaging his body. Nagato whispers now, and she jumps forward. Knowing that Naruto's attack will do little other than stun him, Hinata makes hand signs, her right hand reaching out and grasping his chest. He looks down, asking what does she think she's doing as her hands interact with the seal on his stomach, saying demon's seal, release as she closes her fingers and shatters the seal keeping the beast inside his body. She jumps back as he screams in pain, the 10 tail ripping him apart like a suit many sizes too small. It emerges, looking down at her with power in it's eyes. She thinks that she only really has one choice left. She moves to use the sealing method, but the demon jumps at her, it's chakra flowing onto her and into her. She feels it inside of her, permeating every cell in her body. She thinks it was bodiless chakra, it had to merge with her or it would've ceased to exist. She looks at her own hands, asking herself is this really the end. Scene closes, reopening 2 years later with her narrating that with the threat of Akatsuki gone and her containing two of the most powerful Bijuu in existence, the kage wished to remain allied with Konoha, lest they fight the Jinchuriki of the 10 tail. She thinks that since the 10 tail merged with her she hasn't heard or felt the Kyuubi, maybe it merged with the ten tail, returning to the chakra that spawned it. She narrates that for the last 18 months she traveled around the world as a goodwill ambassador, preaching her message of peace to anyone who will listen and trying her best to help those in need. She thinks she only just returned to Konoha a month ago, and since then Minato has finally stepped down as Hokage, and a reluctant Haruka Uchiha accepted the position, the first Uchiha to be named to the position, and the council only accepted the appointment because of her and her explanation that Konoha created Madara and made him the way he is, that and she personally vouched for Haruka, which went a long way in the eyes of the council. She narrates she sits on top of the tower, hands behind her head, enjoying the afternoon sun against her skin. She thinks that it was intelligent to give up being a shinobi, she couldn't very well preach peace and turn around and kill people. Naruto appears next to her, and she smiles as he grins, saying the Hokage won't like her being up here. She asks if he's gonna say something, and he grins and says nah, he was just worried that she just disappeared like that. Hinata says they don't know for sure if she's pregnant yet, and Naruto says still, he doesn't want her exerting herself and doing something that might cause problems. She asks herself how will her being a Jinchuriki affect her baby, but she quickly pushes the thought aside. She says she won't, and Naruto says that they're holding a dinner in her honor tonight. She sighs exasperated, thinking ANOTHER one. She asks about Shino and Fumiko, and Naruto says that they're engaged, and she gently twists the white gold ring on her right hand with her left, thinking that was first thing she did after she returned to the village, formally getting married to Naruto and taking a nice relaxing honeymoon. Since they returned from the honeymoon, the so called nobles of the village have been heaping praise and gratitude on her, though the prominent shinobi clans aren't happy that she's actively working to make shinobi unnecessary. She thinks to herself that it will probably never happen, that no matter how much she does or how hard she tries shinobi will never disappear, that and people still need their services, even if people stop fighting amongst themselves leaders will never completely disarm because they don't want to risk being defenseless if they should come under attack. Naruto says her name, and she blinks, saying what is it. He says she looked like she was thinking about something, and she says that she was just thinking that she still has a lot of work ahead of her, and Naruto says that she has a hard road ahead of her, but he'll be there for her. Scene closes, insert Haruka's coronation scene, Minato moving his things out, make sure to mention that Hokage manor refers to wherever the Hokage lives not any one particular building. Hinata sees Haruka before the ceremony, talking to her about how she's going to do her clan proud, and she's going to restore her clan to it's former glory, and work to assure that what happens never repeats itself. After coronation she stands atop the monument with Naruto next to her. She smiles, thanking him in her thoughts, looking up she thinks that the sky really is beautiful. Epilogue begins, cutting to 10 years later. She narrates that she never got pregnant, that after a year of trying a visit to the hospital confirmed that it's medically impossible, her body literally never ovulates, making it impossible for her to bear children. She hasn't aged a day since her battle with Madara, and left the village 8 years ago. For 5 years she lived the life of a nomad, going from village to village, follow

ing the path of the SOSP, but unfortunately she hasn't been able to cause complete disarmament, and shinobi still exist, in spite of her best efforts. She narrates it's been eight years since she last saw Naruto, the last time she saw him he was asleep in the bed they shared. She let in the middle of the night, using her abilities to sneak out, leaving a note with Haruka to not look for her. For the last 8 years she's been alone, and now she kneels in a tree, through the Rinnegan she can see through the eyes of the shadow clone in the distance, the clone in a tree overlooking Konoha. She asks herself if she really should do this. She could just as easily as hire a messenger to deliver the small box, her hand drifting to the ring still on her finger. She reaches into her pocket, withdrawing the rectangular jewelry box and opening it to reveal a simple necklace with an orange cylindrical crystal. She thinks that the stone is a one of a kind substance that's been forged through the use of the 10 tail's chakra. The stone amplifies the chakra of the wearer, making them stronger and more powerful than they were before. She says that in time this stone will rival the First's necklace given to Tsunade, and that in time it will be a treasured artifact passed down in Naruto's family from generation to generation. She thinks that she'll be alive to see his children, and his children's children, and even his death. She narrates that the village hasn't changed much since she left, and she should be able to locate him and his family easily enough. Stealthing her way into the village she confirms that not much has changed. She walks past people who pay her cloaked figure no mind, her gaze drifting up to see the Hokage mountain, Naruto and Jiraiya's face carved into the rock. She says that he must've been appointed some time after she left. She thinks that he and his family will probably be furious at seeing her, but she still looks exactly as she did back then, while they all still age like normal people. She again wonders if she should be here, she knows that the way she left she couldn't have made them feel good, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Naruto that she'd be leaving and never come back. She spots the signs of a party ahead, asking herself if that's the party she's looking for. She moves closer, hearing familiar voices that she recognizes. she thinks this is the place, commenting that this is the house she was given after she became the SOSP. She thinks that Naruto must've continued living here after she left, telling herself that she can deal with that, he should keep the house, since she abandoned him. Cloaking in the invisibility jutsu and hopping the fence into the back yard she sees a gathering of people, all of them relaxed and enjoying the day. She takes note of Sakura standing close to Naruto along with several children running around playing. She walks to the table slowly, gently placing the small box where people aren't likely to notice it, the group of adults around Naruto laughing at something, and she wishes him well, telling herself that she doesn't belong here, not anymore. Carefully leaving the place she starts down the street and walks for 10 min before a body literally materializes in front of her, the older form of Minato standing there, looking down at her curiously. She starts in surprise at his presence, and he says its been 8 years, and she says she doesn't know what he's talking about. Minato tells her not to lie, he's memorized her gait and voice, he knows that its her. She asks what he wants, she only wanted to give Naruto one last gift, and he says he wants to know why she left like she did. She pulls down the hood and shows him her face, saying that she hasn't aged a day since the battle with Madara, how could she stay, she can't bear children, can't even call herself human anymore. Minato says that Naruto has gotten married to Sakura, and she says she figured, she's better for him than Hinata. Minato says he misses her, and she says in time he'll forget. Minato shakes his head and says you should go see him, he'd like that a lot. She again says no, if she went to see him now it would only dredge up memories that are best left forgotten, she doesn't want to interfere with his happy life with Sakura, and Minato reaches into his pocket, withdrawing the box and saying then take this with you. If he receives this then it will be a constant reminder of her, and Hinata says to please give it to him, tell him its from you or a random villager. He asks what it does, and she says its a chakra stone that amplifies the wearers chakra, doubling their total capacity. Minato says incredible, and she says to please give it to him, so at least he'll be able to live a long life and retire as a shinobi. Minato says he will, and Hinata goes to walk around him when he says he's sorry, he should've done more for her growing up, and Hinata smiles at him, saying that she never blamed him, and she never will. Minato asks if she'll reconsider seeing him, and she says no, he's happy now, that's all that matters. Scene closes, reopening 40 years later at Naruto's funeral, Sakura and their children and their grandchildren in attendance, Hinata standing back as nearly the entire village pays their respects to Naruto's grave. Rain falling and with her hood up Hinata thinks that they're all so somber, and she can't help but cry at the somber scene. The service goes on, Sakura is the last to stand there, and Hinata approaches the grave stone, putting a bouquet of flowers on the grave. Sakura notices her standing there with tears in her eyes. Hinata says he's so sorry for your loss. Sakura glares at her, muttering her name, asking how dare you show up here of all days. Hinata opens her mouth to apologize, and Sakura reaches out, slapping her with everything the elderly woman has. Sakura calls her a bitch, saying she left him in the night, and Hinata can't say anything as Sakura continues, saying he loved you, thought the world of you, and you repay him by running out on him, giving his father a necklace made by her to give to him, and then running out again before he can even see her. The only thing he wanted in life was to see her again, even on his deathbed he wouldn't tolerate her speaking bad of Hinata. Hinata says she's sorry, she knows there's nothing she can do, but she couldn't stay around and watch him grow old and die while she didn't change. Sakura says you're right; you can't do anything to make up for what she's done, if you really loved him get out of this village and never return, stay out of their family for the rest of time. Hinata says all right, turning around she says I'm so sorry before walking away. Story ends there.


End file.
